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'mM 


M.  U 


3  1833  01201  9474 


OENEALOGY  COLLECfflON 


MEMORIES    OF    THE   ARBUTHNOTS 

OF 

KINCARDINESHIRE    AND    ABERDEENSHIRE 


BY  THE  SAME  AUTHOR 

QUEEN  MARY'S  BOOK 

A  Collection  of  Poems  and  Essays 
by  Mary  Queen  of  Scots. 


^  liarcici    (DtctpcaLt-^Lsie 
first  irifc  cf  the  SJii(jht  Jferi.  Skaries  ^Artruthmrt 

from.dve.  TnrzzoixnL.Dij prj-nusum  .^  Me  JiuMU^hin  J/Lusrs.  ^£r^J  G-aUux^hj,  t~  OhcuJi. 


MEMORIES  OF  THE 
ARBUTHNOTS     OF 

KINCARDINESHIRE 
AND     ABERDEENSHIRE 


BY 

MRS.    P.    S-M.    ARBUTHNOT 


WITH  A  PHOTOGRAVURE  FRONTISPIECE 
AND       25      PAGES      OF       ILLUSTRATIONS 


LONDON:    GEORGE    ALLEN    6?    UNWIN    LTD. 
RUSKIN    HOUSE,    40    MUSEUM    STREET,  W.C.  1 


First  published  in  1920 

This  edition  is  limited 
to  525  copies,  of 
which  less  than  500 
will      be     for     sale 


(All  rights  reserved) 


-^  1135590 


>9. 


TO 

M.   E.   A. 

AND  ALL  THE  YOUNGER   MEMBERS  OF  THE  CLAN, 

IN   THE  HOPE  AND  BELIEF  THAT  THEY  WILL  ONE  DAY 

READ    WITH    PLEASURE    THE    HISTORY    OF     THEIR    FAMILY, 

AND    UNDERSTAND    THAT    GENEALOGY,   RIGHTLY 

INTERPRETED,  WHILE  SEEKING  TO   PROVE 

ALL  THINGS,  MAY  INSPIRE   US  TO 

HOLD    FAST    ONLY    THAT 

WHICH  IS  GOOD. 


PREFACE 

IN    compiling    the    following    memoirs   of   the   Arbuthnot 
family  the  author  cannot  claim  to  have  done  justice  in 

any  way  to  the  long  descent  and  interesting  family 
history  of  the  Arbuthnotts  of  Kincardineshire.  She  has 
considered  herself  to  be  only  seriously  in  charge  of  the  Aber- 
deenshire branch  of  the  family,  and  this  task  will  probably 
seem,  on  consideration,  amply  sufficient  for  one  individual. 
But  this  apparent  neglect  of  the  senior  line  will  carry  with  it, 
she  trusts,  no  eventual  loss  to  the  genealogical  student,  for 
there  is  reason  to  believe  that  a  publication  of  exceptional 
interest,  dealing  with  that  family,  is  shortly  to  make  its  appear- 
ance. Some  facilities  with  regard  to  the  important  and  unique 
family  records  preserved  at  Arbuthnott  were,  it  is  true,  kindly 
offered  with  reference  to  the  present  volume,  but  the  work 
was  then  too  far  advanced  towards  completion  to  enable 
advantage  to  be  taken  of  a  privilege  often  previously  coveted 
and  abandoned  with  extreme  regret. 

The  point  of  junction  between  the  Kincardineshire  and 
Aberdeenshire  branches  of  the  family  has  been  made  the  subject 
of  special  research.  While  no  absolute  certainty  has  been 
reached,  it  is  beheved  that  the  evidence  now  collected  and 
presented  to  the  reader  will  show  fairly  clearly  at  which 
point  the  Aberdeenshire  branch  separated  itself  from  the 
main  stem. 

The  spelling  of  the  name,  which  varies  in  the  two  branches, 
has  often  been  a  puzzle    to   genealogists.     It  is  not  known 


8  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBIITHNOTS 

when  the  senior  hne  adopted  the  double  tt,  but  the  records  at 
Arbuthnott  House  would  probably  be  conclusive  on  this 
point.  The  older  form  was  certainly  the  single  /,  and  the 
name  is  thus  spelt  throughout  Principal  Alexander  Arbuthnot's 
MS.  History  of  the  Arbuthnot  Family,  finished  about  the 
year  1567.  In  the  present  volume  the  plan  has  been  adopted 
of  assigning  the  double  tt  to  the  senior  line  from  the  first 
Viscount  downwards,  but  this  is  only  for  convenience,  and 
it  is  not  in  any  way  claimed  as  historically  correct.  The 
author  would  suppose  the  spelhng  to  have  been  altered  rather 
later,  and  some  reasons  could  be  suggested  for  this  view, 
but  there  are  various  opinions  on  the  point,  and  it  is  one 
with  regard  to  which  others  are  entitled  to  speak  with 
greater   authority. 

With  regard  to  the  question  as  to  what  arms  should  be 
borne  by  the  Arbuthnots  of  Buchan  not  descended  from  the 
first  Baronet,  the  birthbrief  facing  p.  162  will  perhaps  be 
held  to  supply  a  satisfactory  answer.  The  original  document 
is  in  the  Register  House  at  Edinburgh,  and  in  it  we  find  that 
the  great-grandfather  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Rouen — in 
whose  favour  the  birthbrief  was  drawn  up — bore  the  Arbuthnot 
arms  within  an  engrailed  bordure.  The  same  birthbrief 
shows  the  arms  of  Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall,  depicted  a  httle 
differently,  with  a  plain  bordure,  this  ordinary  being  very 
frequently  used  in  Scottish  heraldry  as  a  mark  of  difference 
in  a  cadet  line.  The  engrailed  bordure  would  then  seem  to  be 
correct  for  all  Arbuthnots  descending  from  Robert  Arbuthnot 
of  Scotsmill  (except  the  line  of  Baronets  and  their  issue, 
who  bear  the  bordure  charged  with  three  boars'  heads,  as 
granted  to  the  first  Baronet  in  1814),  while  there  is  every 
probabihty  that  the  arms  of  Gordon  of  Letterfourie  should  be 
quartered  with  the  paternal  coat.  The  latter  suggestion  is 
discussed  on  p.  149. 


PREFACE  9 

In  an  old  MS.  at  the  Advocates'  Library,  Edinburgh, 
entitled  Scottish  Surnames  with  their  Arms,  by  Sir  James 
Balfour,  Lyon,  1630-1654,  the  following  entry  has  been  found 
by  Mr.  Thomas  Innes  of  Learney  : 

"  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche,  Az.,  a       ^^a      between  three 

Arg." 


This  is  certainly  a  curiosity,  and  it  is  supposed  that  James 
Arbuthnot,  second  Laird  of  Lentusche,  may  have  adopted 
this  arrangement  of  the  arms,  which  is  believed  to  represent 
the  Wishart  passion  nails  incorporated  with  the  Arbuthnot 
charges.  (James,  second  Laird  of  Lentusche,  married  Barbara 
Wishart,  see  p.  118.)  It  is  of  interest  to  compare  this  with 
the  illustration  in  Stodart's  Scottish  Arms,  vol.  i.,  where 
Plate  91  shows  the  Arms  of  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk  also  com- 
posed with  the  Wishart  passion  nails.  It  is  supposed  that 
the  arms  may  have  been  borne  in  this  form  by  Robert  Arbuth- 
not of  that  Ilk  (who  died  in  1505),  whose  first  wife  was  a 
Wishart  of  Pitarrow,  but  a  curious  and  inexplicable  circum- 
stance is  that  the  arms  are  blazoned  gules  and  or,  whereas 
Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk  has  from  time  immemorial  borne  the 
crescent  and  mullets  charged  upon  an  azure  field.  I  am 
informed  by  Mr  Grant,  the  Rothesay  Herald,  that  the 
original  MS.  from  which  Stodart's  plate  is  copied — an 
Armorial  attributed  to  Sir  David  Lindsay  of  the  Mount — is 
in  the  possession  of  the  Earl  of  Crawford. 

It  may  be  added  that  with  regard  to  Parts  I  and  V  of 
this  volume,  little  more  has  been  attempted,  with  reference 
to  the  later  portions,  than  to  bring  them  into  harmony 
with  the  1915  Peerage,  and  the  book  must  not  be  regarded  as 
a  complete  work  of  reference  for  contemporary  generations. 

A.  J.  A. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 
PREFACE  7 

INTRODUCTION I7 

PART  I 
THE  ARBUTHNOTTS  OF  KINCARDINESHIRE 25 

PART  II 
THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE,  FIRST  BRANCH  :  THE 
DESCENDANTS  OF  JAMES  ARBUTHNOT  OF   LENTUSCHE, 
ENDING  IN  THE  LAIRDS  OF  CAIRNGALL 85 

PART  III 
THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE,  SECOND  BRANCH  :  THE 
DESCENDANTS  OF  ROBERT  ARBUTHNOT  OF  RORA — DOCTOR 
JOHN  ARBUTHNOT — THE  RIGHT  HON.  CHARLES  ARBUTHNOT   I4I 

PART  IV 
THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE,  THIRD  BRANCH  :  THE 

ABBOT  OF  RATISBON   THE  "  OLD  BAILIE  "  OF  PETERHEAD   245 

PART  V 
THE   DESCENDANTS  OF  ROBERT  ARBUTHNOT  OF   WHITEHILL. 

THE  LINE  OF  BARONETS 279 

PART  VI 
THE   DESCENDANTS  OF  GEORGE  ARBUTHNOT  OF   ELDERSLIE, 

SURREY 331 

11 


12  MEMORIES    OF   THE   ARBUTHNOTS 

APPENDICES 

PAGE 

I.  POEM  BY  THE  REV.  JOHN  SKINNER  ON  THE  DEATH  OF 
JAMES,  ELDEST  SON  OF  JAMES  ARBUTHNOT  OF  WEST 
RORA 427 

II.     DOCUMENTS  RELATING    TO    THE    PURCHASE  OF  CAIRNGALL  IN 

I59I 428 

III.  DOCUMENTS    RELATING      TO      MARGARET      ARBUTHNOT,     SUP- 

POSED    DAUGHTER    OF      JOHN     ARBUTHNOT,     FIRST     LAIRD 

OF  CAIRNGALL 429 

IV.  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  RIGHT  HON,   CHARLES  ARBUTHNOT  .      432 

V.     SUPPOSED   DESCENT   OF   ADMIRAL  MARRIOTT  ARBUTHNOT.       .      443 

VI.     EXTRACTS     FROM     THE     DIARIES    OF     GEORGE     ARBUTHNOT, 

FIRST  OF  ELDERSLIE,   SURREY 445 

INDEX 491 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

MARCIA    MARY  ANNE    (NEE   CLAPCOTT-LISLE),   FIRST  WIFE   OF  THE 

RIGHT  HON.  CHARLES  ARBUTHNOT      ....        Frontispiece 

From  an  Engraving  by  Appleton,  after  the  original  Portrait 
by  Hoppner. 

FAOrNO 
PAGE 

ARBUTHNOTT  HOUSE,   KINCARDINESHIRE 26 

From  an  Old  Print. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTT  AISLE,  ARBUTHNOTT  CHURCH,  KINCARDINE- 
SHIRE   40 

From  an  Etching  by  G.  R.  Gowans,  in  the  possession  of  the 
Rev.  Peter  Dunn,  Minister  of  Arbuthnott. 

A  PAGE  OF  THE  "  ARBUTHNOTT  MISSAL,"  SHOWING  THE  FIGURE  OF 

ST.  TERNAN,  PATRON  SAINT  OF  ARBUTHNOTT  CHURCH    .    66 

TOMB  IN  ARBUTHNOTT  CHURCH,  REPUTED  TO  BE  THAT  OF  SIR 
HUGH  DE  ABERBOTHENOTH  (KNOWN  AS  "  SIR  HUGH  LE 
BLOND  ") 70 

ARMS  OF  ARBUTHNOTT  OF  THAT  ILK 70 

From  the  Workman  MS. 

DOCTOR  JOHN  ARBUTHNOT I56 

From  a  Portrait  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  WiUiam  Arbuthnot- 
Leslie  of  Warthill. 

GEORGE   ARBUTHNOT  OF  THE   BENGAL   CIVIL   SERVICE    ....       I78 

From  a  Painting  in  Grisaille,  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Cecil 
Lister-Kaye 


14  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

FACING 
PAGE 

ELIZABETH        MILLICENT      (N^E        BRISCO),        WIFE       OF      GEORGE 

ARBUTHNOT   OF  THE   BENGAL   CIVIL   SERVICE         .       .       .       .       I78 

From  a  Miniature  believed  to  be  by  Andrew  Plimer,  in  the 
possession  of  Mr.  Cecil  Lister-Kaye. 


LADY  LISTER-KAYE    (NEE   MATILDA  ARBUTHNOT)        .       .       .       .       .      180 
From  a  Portrait  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Cecil  Lister-Kaye. 

THE   RIGHT  HON.    CHARLES   ARBUTHNOT 184 

From  a  Miniature  in  the  possession  of  Mrs.  Arthur  Arbuthnot. 

MARCIA  MARY  ANNE  (NEE  CLAPCOTT-LISLE),  FIRST  WIFE  OF  THE 
RIGHT  HON.  CHARLES  ARBUTHNOT,  WITH  HER  FOUR 
CHILDREN 188 

From  a  Miniature  in  the  possession  of  Mrs.  Arthur  Arbuthnot. 

HARRIET      (NEE      FANE),      SECOND     WIFE      OF     THE     RIGHT     HON. 

CHARLES  ARBUTHNOT      2l6 

From  an  Engraving  by  W.  Giller,  after  the  original  Portrait 
by  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence. 

CHARLES  AND  HENRY  ARBUTHNOT,  SONS  OF  THE  RIGHT  HON. 

CHARLES  ARBUTHNOT   232 

From  an  Engraving  by  F.  C.  Lewis,  after  the  original  Drawing 
by  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence. 

MARCIA  EMMA   GEORGIANA,  MARCHIONESS  OF  CHOLMONDELEY  (NEE 

ARBUTHNOT),    AS  LADY  WILLIAM  HENRY   CHOLMONDELEY    .       232 

From  an  Engraving  by  J.  Thomson,  after  the  original  Miniature 
by  Sir  William  Ross. 

GENERAL   GEORGE   BINGHAM  ARBUTHNOT 238 

From  the  original  Silhouette  (Artist's  Duplicate),  by  August 
Edouard,  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  P.  S-M.  Arbuthnot. 

ROBERT   ARBUTHNOT,    SECOND   OF   HADDO-RATTRAY  ....      29O 

From  a  Portiait  at  Warthill,  believed  to  be  by  Francis  Cotes. 


ILLUSTRATIONS  15 

TACINO 
PAGE 

MARY    (n6e    URQUHART),    WIFE    OF    ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT,    SECOND 

OF   HADDO-RATTRAY 29O 

From  the  original  Portrait  in  the  possession  of  Brigadier- 
General  Sir  Dalrymple  Arbuthnot,   Bart. 

SIR    WILLIAM    ARBUTHNOT,    FIRST     BARONET,    LORD     PROVOST     OF 

EDINBURGH 3^8 

From  a  Miniature  in  the  possession  of  Miss  Inglis  of  Culcabock 
House,  Inverness. 

LADY     ARBUTHNOT    (NEE     ANNE     ALVES),    WIFE    OF    SIR    WILLIAM 

ARBUTHNOT,   FIRST  BARONET 308 

From  a  Portrait  in  the  possession  of  Miss  Inglis. 

REAR-ADMIRAL    SIR  ROBERT  KEITH  ARBUTHNOT,  FOURTH  BARONET, 

KILLED  AT  THE  BATTLE  OF   JUTLAND,   3IST  MAY,   I916         .       324 

GEORGE   ARBUTHNOT,  FIRST   OF   ELDERSLIE,   SURREY       ....       334 
From  a  Portrait  at  Warthill. 

ELIZA    (nee    eraser),    WIFE    OF    GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT,    FIRST    OF 

ELDERSLIE,   WITH   HER   YOUNGEST   DAUGHTER,    ELEANOR     .       334 
From  a  Miniature  at  Warthill. 

WILLIAM  REIERSON  ARBUTHNOT,  OF  FLAW  HATCH,  SUSSEX,  FIFTH 
AND  YOUNGEST  SON  OF  GEORGE  ARBUTHNOT,  FIRST  OF 
ELDERSLIE 362 

From   a   Water    Colour    Painting    by   F.    Tatham,    in    the 

possession  of  Mr.  P.  S-M.  Arbuthnot. 

JANE,   VISCOUNTESS    GOUGH    (nEE    ARBUTHNOT),   WITH    HER   TWIN 

SISTER.   ANNE   ARBUTHNOT 362 

From  a  Water-Colour  Painting  in  the  possession  of  Viscount 
Gough. 

LADY  LENOX-CON YNGHAM  (NEE  LAURA  CALVERT  ARBUTHNOT), 
WIFE  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  LENOX-CONYNGHAM  OF  SPRING 
HILL,   CO.    LONDONDERRY  372 

ELEANOR  ARBUTHNOT,  YOUNGEST  DAUGHTER  OF  GEORGE 
ARBUTHNOT,  FIRST  OF  ELDERSLIE,  AND  HEROINE  OF  THE 
"  ARBUTHNOT  ABDUCTION   CASE  " 39O 


16  MEMORIES    OF   THE   ARBUTHNOTS 


FACING 
PAGE 


LADY  HUNTER    (n6e   ELIZABETH   BARBARA  ARBUTHNOT),  WIFE    OF 

SIR    JOHN    HUNTER,   BRITISH    CONSUL-GENERAL   AT  MADRID      398 

From  the  original  Water-Colour  Painting  in  the  possession 
of  the  Hon.  Mrs.  Henry  Denison. 

PRINCE  CHARLES   EDWARD   STUART 418 

From  a  Miniature  given  by  His  Royal  Highness  to  Captain 
Thomas  Arbuthnot  just  before  Culloden,  and  now  in  the 
possession  of  the  Rev.  William  Arbuthnot  of  Stechford, 
Birmingham. 

JAMES  ARBUTHNOT  OF  INVERNETTIE 420 

From  the  original  Portrait  at  Arbuthnot  House,  Peterhead. 

ELEANOR    (nSe    OGILVY- WILLS) ,   WIFE   OF  JAMES  ARBUTHNOT    OF 

INVERNETTIE 42O 

From  the  original  Portrait  at  Arbuthnot  House,  Peterhead. 

CHARLES   ARBUTHNOT,   ABBOT   OF   RATISBON 422 

From  an  Engraving  by  F.  C.  Lewis,  after  the  original  Portrait 
by  G.  Lewis. 

ADAM     ARBUTHNOT,     FOUNDER     OF      THE     ARBUTHNOT     MUSEUM, 

PETERHEAD 422 

From  a  Miniature  in  the  possession  of  Mrs.  Patrick  Irvine  of 
Broad  Street,  Peterhead. 


GENEALOGICAL    CHARTS 

BIRTHBRIEF  GRANTED  AT  AN  UNKNOWN  DATE  TO  ROBERT 
ARBUTHNOT  OF  ROUEN,  SECOND  SON  OF  THE  REV. 
ALEXANDER  ARBUTHNOT   162 

From  a  Tracing  of  the  Original  at  the  Register  House,  Edin- 
burgh. 

AN  ATTEMPT  TO  CONSTRUCT  THE  SEIZE  QUARTIERS  OF  MARY 
URQUHART,  WIFE  OF  ROBERT  ARBUTHNOT,  SECOND  OF 
HADDO-RATTRAY 294 

OUTLINE     PEDIGREE,    SHOWING     THE      SUPPOSED      RELATIONSHIP 

BETWEEN  THE  VARIOUS   BRANCHES  OF  THE  FAMILY      .       . 

To  follow  p.  423 


INTRODUCTION 

THE  researches  on  which  this  book  is  founded  were  begun 
in  a  desultory  way,  some  years  ago,  as  a  distraction 
in  the  days  of  peace,  when  some  of  us  enjoyed  that 
spacious  leisure  which  probably  cannot,  perhaps  ought  not, 
ever  again  to  be  our  lot.  It  was  finished  when  the  claims  of 
our  own  ruined  century  called  us  imperiously  from  studying 
the  dead  world  to  confront  the  problems  and  sorrows  of  our 
own  incredible  times. 

It  was  impossible,  in  the  later  stages  of  the  work,  to 
concentrate  upon  it  the  undivided  attention  that  every  page 
of  it  properly  required,  and  this  will  explain,  and  perhaps 
excuse,  the  lack  of  proportion  that  will  be  noticed  in  some  of 
its  parts.  Such  as  it  is,  the  writer  wishes  now  to  pubhsh  it, 
with  a  very  clear  sense  of  its  shortcomings  and  a  full  acknow- 
ledgment also  of  the  fact  that  without  the  kind  assistance  of 
correspondents,  most  of  whom  are  quite  unknown  to  her, 
it  could  not  have  reached  the  degree  of  accuracy  which  she 
hopes  it  may,  through  their  kindness,  have  attained.  With 
regard  to  the  account  given  here  of  the  senior  line  of  Arbuth- 
nott,  the  writer  must  acknowledge  her  deep  indebtedness  to 
the  Arbuthnott  article  in  the  Scots  Peerage,  written  by  Mr. 
J.  R.  N.  Macphail,  as  also  to  the  Report  on  Lord  Arbuthnott's 
papers  by  the  Historical  MSS.  Commission.  To  both  of  these 
authorities,  but  more  especially  to  the  former,  the  writer 
must  express  the  deepest  obligations. 

For  the  Arbuthnots  of  Buchan,  she  had  the  advantage  of 
access  to  the  original  MS.  History  of  the  family  by  John 
Moir,"  while  it  is  superfluous  to  add  that  Mr.  Alexander 
Henderson's  Aberdeenshire  Epitaphs  and  Mr.  David  Littlejohn's 
Records  of  the  Sheriff  Court  of  Aberdeen  have  been  absolutely 

■  The  original  MS.,  which  is  in  the  possession  of  Mrs.  Arthur  Arbuthnot,  is 
entitled  :  Short  Genealogical  Memoirs  of  the  Families  of  the  Name  of  Arbuthnot, 
who  first  settled  at  Rora,  now  principally  resident  in  Peterhead,  containing  also 
Memoirs  of  Dr.  John  Arbuthnot  and  his  Brothers.  Drawn  up  by  John  Moir, 
Edinburgh,  1815. 

2  M 


18  MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

invaluable  for  verifying  and  correcting  the  details  of  the 
pedigree. 

She  has  also  to  thank  the  authorities  at  the  Advocates' 
Library  for  kindly  allowing  her  to  use  the  MS.  History  of  the 
Arbuthnot  Family,  written  by  the  Rev.  Alexander  Arbuthnot ; 
as  also  the  Committee  of  the  Paisley  Free  Library,  for  kind 
permission  to  reproduce  a  page  of  the  Arbuthnott  Missal. 

To  the  Rev.  Wilham  Arbuthnot  •  of  Stechford,  Birmingham, 
the  writer  is  under  a  debt  of  gratitude  greater  than  she  can 
ever  hope  to  express,  for  he  has,  without  exaggeration,  placed 
the  researches  of  a  Ufetime  at  her  disposal,  and  his  unflagging 
interest  in  the  work  has  been  the  greatest  possible  help  and 
encouragement  to  her  to  persevere  in  a  task  that  sometimes 
threatened  to  become  overwhelming. 

The  late  Mr.  G.  A.  Aitken,  author  of  the  Life  of  Doctor 
John  Arbuthnot,  most  generously  sent  her  all  his  correspondence 
dating  from  the  time  when  he  was  preparing  that  work,  and 
this  was  of  the  greatest  possible  assistance,  and  placed  her 
in  touch  with  others  interested  in  the  same  subject. 

The  private  collections  placed  at  her  disposal  have  included 
those  of  Mr.  Wilham  Arbuthnot-Leslie  of  Warthill,  together 
with  many  family  papers  kindly  lent  by  Mrs.  Arthur  Arbuthnot, 
which  latter  included  many  interesting  letters  and  documents 
connected  with  the  Right  Hon.  Charles  Arbuthnot,  always 
remembered  as  the  intimate  friend  of  the  first  Duke  of  Welling- 
ton. Some  papers  of  the  late  Admiral  Sir  Robert  Arbuthnot 
were  also  sent  her,  but  many  family  records  connected  with 
the  line  of  Baronets  seem  to  have  disappeared. 

Mr.  George  Clerk  Suttie  of  Alma  Lodge,  St.  Cyrus,  also 
most  kindly  placed  his  unrivalled  knowledge  of  Arbuthnott, 
Fordoun  and  Kincardineshire  freely  at  the  writer's  disposal, 
thus  greatly  facilitating  the  topographical  side  of  the  work. 

The  writer  must  acknowledge  much  kind  and  material 
help  given  by  Miss  Violet  Arbuthnot-Leshe,  Miss  MadeUne 
Charly  Arbuthnot,  Miss  Mary  Reeve  Arbuthnot,  Mr.  Cecil 
Lister-Kaye,  Mr.  Thomas  Innes,  Mr.  A.  C.  Ross,  and  others, 
as  well  as  the  welcome  interest  taken  in  the  work  by  Miss 

I  These  pages  were  in  the  hands  of  the  printer  when  the  author  learnt  of  the 
death  of  Mr.  Arbuthnot,  who  passed  away  at  Icomb,  Gloucestershire,  2nd  of 
January,  1920,  after  a  short  illness. 


INTRODUCTION  19 

Helen  Arbuthnot  of  Ashley  Gardens,  the  Hon.  Mrs.  Henry 
Denison,  Mrs.  George  Holme  Arbuthnot,  the  Rev.  Leighton 
Pullan,  and  others  connected  more  or  less  distantly  with  the 
family. 

She  has  also  to  thank  Mrs.  Carnegy-Arbuthnott,  Lady 
Marcia  Cholmondeley,  Mr.  H.  T.  Knox,  author  of  the  History 
of  Cotmty  Mayo,  Mr.  J.  M.  Bulloch,  author  of  the  House  of 
Gordon,  Mr.  J.  F.  Tocher,  editor  of  the  Book  of  Buchan, 
Mr.  J.  R.  N.  Macphail,  Mr.  David  Littlejohn,  Father  Odo 
Blundell,  and  many  others  who  have  kindly  allowed  her  to 
consult  them  on  minor  points.  The  kind  and  courteous 
attention  given  to  all  inquiries  by  Sir  James  Balfour  Paul, 
Lyon  King-at-Arms,  must  also  be  gratefully  acknowledged. 

The  writer  must  also  acknowledge  her  indebtedness  to 
Mr.  Richard  Edgcumbe  for  kindly  allowing  some  quotations 
from  the  interesting  letters  of  Mrs.  Charles  Arbuthnot,  published 
for  the  first  time  by  him  in  the  Diary  of  Frances,  Lady  Shelley  ; 
as  also  to  Mr.  John  Murray,  Messrs.  Longmans,  Green  and 
Co.,  Messrs.  Chapman  and  Hall,  Messrs.  Douglas  and  Foulis 
of  Edinburgh,  the  Editor  of  The  Times,  and  the  Editors  of 
The  Great  War,  for  permission  to  quote  from  various  pub- 
lications, references  to  which  will  be  found  in  the  text  and 
foot-notes. 

Mr.  W.  Mansell  of  Oxford  Street  has  executed  most  of  the 
photographic  work,  and  the  writer  has  to  thank  him  for  much 
kind  and  practical  assistance  and  advice. 

The  sympathetic  help  given  by  Mr.  Henry  Paton  and  his 
father,  the  Rev.  Henry  Paton,  who  brought  to  the  research- 
work  in  Edinburgh  all  the  weight  of  their  learning,  with  an 
enthusiasm  that  was  most  encouraging,  must  be  recorded  as 
having  contributed  to  the  work  almost  all  the  value  it  may 
owe  to  original  research,  as  far  as  Scotland  is  concerned. 

Miss  E.  Fairbrother  has  also  carried  out  a  large  part  of 
the  research- work  in  London  with  her  usual  energy  and  spirit, 
and  the  writer  is  much  indebted  to  her  untiring  labours, 
which  have  greatly  helped  to  clear  up  those  lines  of  the  Arbuth- 
not family  which  have  been  resident  in  England  since  about 
the  year  1691,  when  Dr.  John  Arbuthnot  and  his  brothers 
first  travelled  south  and  settled  in  this  country. 

And  last,  but  not  least,  the  author  must  record  that  her 


20  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

husband's  constant  enthusiasm  and  unwavering  optimism 
have  more  than  compensated  for  the  sad  fact  that  she  has 
in  general  not  been  very  successful  in  interesting  members  of 
the  family  itself  in  the  history  of  their  ancient  race. 

Perhaps  a  word  of  apology  to  readers  north  of  the  Tweed 
will  not  be  thought  out  of  place,  as  from  an  English  writer 
presuming  to  appear  as  historian  of  a  Scottish  family.  The 
task  should  perhaps  have  been  undertaken,  if  by  a  woman 
at  all,  then  by  a  Scotchwoman,  preferably  a  member  of  the 
Arbuthnot  family,  or  at  least  by  one  related  in  blood,  and  not 
merely  by  marriage,  to  this  ancient  family.  It  did  not  appear, 
however,  that  anyone  thus  qualified  was  proposing  to  under- 
take the  task,  and  with  regard  to  the  propriety  or  otherwise 
of  a  mere  Sassenach  venturing  upon  it,  the  only  extenuating 
circumstance  that  occurs  to  the  writer  is  the  fact  that  she  had 
the  good  fortune  to  grow  up  in  a  house  whose  proudest  posses- 
sions were  its  Stuart  relics,"  and  such  influences  are  apt  to  turn 
one's  thoughts  early  in  the  direction  of  Scotland,  as  to  a 
spiritual  home,  which,  in  the  long,  expectant  hours  of  child- 
hood, lay  mysteriously  beyond  the  boundaries  of  the  known 
and  the  actual. 

The  task  of  writing  the  history  of  a  family,  many  of  whose 
members  have  fought  for  and  suffered  in  the  cause  of  the 
unfortunate  Royal  House,  has  been  something  more  than  a 
pleasant  distraction — it  has  been  a  labour  of  love  from  begin- 
ning to  end.  Whether  the  results  will  be  held  to  justify  its 
pubhcation,  it  is  not  for  the  writer  to  judge.  She  believes, 
however,  that  her  sternest  critics  will  not  be  found  in  Scotland, 
where,  as  genealogy  receives  more  attention  than  elsewhere, 
the  difficulties  attending  a  task  of  this  kind  will  be  best 
appreciated.  She  would  like  to  add  that  throughout  the  book 
an  endeavour  has  been  made  to  set  the  personal  interest  above 
the  genealogical,  and  to  give  all  possible  prominence  to 
those  members  of  the  family  who,  by  services  to  their  country 
or  other  achievements,  have  conferred  upon  their  name  a 
distinction  greater  than  any  they  could  inherit  with  it. 

'  Not  the  least  of  these,  certainly,  was  the  Prayer  Book  used  on  the  scaffold 
by  King  Charles  I,  which  has  always  been  reverently  treasured  by  the  family 
whose  generations  have  had,  since  the  Civil  War,  the  honour  of  being  its  custodians. 
This  precious  reUc  is  now  in  the  possession  of  the  writer's  brother,  Mr.  John  Evelyn 
of  Wotton. 


Not  rough,  not  barren,  are  the  winding  ways 
Of  hoar  antiquity,  but  strewn  with  flowers. 

Thomas  Warton. 

In  books  Hes  the  soul  of  the  whole  Past  Time. 

Carlyle. 


PART    I 

THE     ARBUTHNOTTS     OF 
KINCARDINESHIRE 


THE   ARBUTHNOTTS   OF   KINCARDINESHIRE 

THE  lands  of  Arbuthnott,  in  ancient  times  known  as 
Aberbothenoth,  lie  to  the  eastern  side  of  Kincardine- 
shire. The  little  river  Bervie  flows  through  them  to 
the  sea,  passing  on  its  way  Arbuthnott  House,  which  stands  on 
the  site  of  an  ancient  castle  that  once  frowned  upon  the  pictur- 
esque landscape,  and  overlooks  the  point  at  which  a  small  tribu- 
tary joins  the  Bervie  and  quickens  its  current  eastwards.  It 
is  to  this  junction  of  the  rivers  that  the  name  Arbuthnot  is 
said  by  some  to  owe  its  origin.  Perhaps  no  Scottish,  and  only 
a  few  English  readers  will  require  to  be  told  the  meaning  of 
the  Gaelic  Aber — the  influx  of  a  smaller  into  a  greater  stream. 
Both,  or  Bothena,  is  a  baronial  residence,  while  Neihea  is 
given  (in  the  New  Statistical  Account  of  Scotland)  the  curious 
meaning  of  "  the  stream  that  descends  or  is  lower  than  some- 
thing else  in  the  neighbourhood."  This  completes  the  picture 
of  the  two  streams,  which  do  actually  flow  at  the  foot  of  a 
sharp  declivity,  giving  a  very  picturesque  and  rather  wild 
aspect  to  the  miniature  valleys  here  united. 

Crowning  the  eminence  above  the  streams  stands  Arbuth- 
nott House,  half  hidden  from  view  by  the  surrounding  trees, 
as  though  it  wished  to  withdraw  itself  from  the  busy,  garrulous 
life  of  a  utilitarian  century  and  sink  into  the  misty  shadow 
of  its  historical  memories. 

For  it  has  memories,  though  it  is  not  the  feudal  castle 
from  which,  in  the  days  of  chivalry,  Sir  Hugh  le  Blond  rode 
proudly  forth  to  draw  his  sword  in  vindication  of  the  honour 
of  a  fair  lady  who  stood  in  deadly  peril  and  who  was  also 
his  Queen.  But  here,  on  this  site,  his  grim  old  stronghold 
must  once  have  stood,  although  it  is  now  as  much  a  legend 
as  the  old  story  of  Sir  Hugh's  exploit.  The  date  of  the  present 
Arbuthnott  House  seems  to  be  uncertain,  and  so  far  nothing 

2S 


26  MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

has  come  to  light  to  show  when  the  old  battlemented  castle 
was  demolished.  The  magnificent  beech  avenue,  which  is 
such  a  feature  of  the  grounds,  is  supposed  to  be  rather  more 
than  three  hundred  years  old — the  date  was  ascertained  by 
counting  the  concentric  rings  of  a  fallen  tree — and  it  has  been 
conjectured  that  the  planting  of  this  avenue,  somewhere  about 
the  end  of  the  sixteenth  century,  may  have  synchronized  with 
the  erection  of  a  more  modern  building.'  On  an  old  bakehouse 
still  standing  at  the  end  of  the  present  courtyard  the  date 
1588  is  to  be  seen,  and  Mr.  George  Clerk  Suttie — to  whose 
interesting  little  book  on  Arbuthnott,  supplemented  by 
information  most  kindly  furnished  by  him,  I  owe  nearly  all 
the  above  facts — has  traced  some  defensive  loopholes  in  one 
of  the  old  walls,  which  survive  to  remind  us  of  the  unquiet 
days  of  long  ago. 

The  drive  by  which  Arbuthnott  House  is  approached  no 
longer  passes  up  the  old  beech  avenue  ;  at  the  spot  where 
it  crosses  the  smaller  stream  a  beautiful  stone  bridge 
has  been  thrown  across  the  gorge,  the  effect  being  ex- 
ceedingly fine.  This  bridge  was  built  by  the  eighth 
Viscount  in  1821. 

Among  the  treasures  within  the  house  are  many  beautiful 
portraits — among  them  a  very  fine  one  of  the  first  Viscount — 
and  other  valuable  pictures  by  well-known  painters.  There 
is  also  preserved  at  Arbuthnott  an  old  two-handed  sword, 
said  to  have  belonged  to  Sir  Hugh  le  Blond.  Mr.  Suttie  tells 
us  that  within  recent  years  a  carpenter  on  the  estate  had  in 
his  possession  a  huge  iron  key,  said  to  have  been  the  original 
key  of  the  old  Castle  of  Arbuthnott. 

Next  in  interest  to  Arbuthnott  House,  we  must  notice  the 
wonderful  old  parish  church.  Genealogists  who  visit  it  will 
not  fail  to  wander  into  the  Arbuthnott  Aisle,  once  a  chapel 
dedicated  to  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  see  there  the  ancient  sculp- 
tured tomb  (said  by  some  to  be  of  the  thirteenth  century), 
with  the  recumbent  knight,  long  beheved  to  represent   Sir 

'  This,  in  its  turn,  is  supposed  to  have  given  place  to  the  present  (eighteenth- 
century)  house.  We  may  notice  that  the  old  square  tower  of  the  castle  is  said 
to  have  survived  until  1754,  when  it  was  unfortunately  pulled  down  and  the 
present  Georgian  building  erected. — See  account  in  Neale's  Views  of  Seats,  2nd 
edition,  vol.  iii. 


t     ^ 


THE   ARBUTHNOTTS    OF   KINCARDINESHIRE      27 

Hugh  le  Blond  himself.'  This  tomb  is  said  to  have  formerly 
borne  the  arms  of  the  de  Moreville  family,  hereditary  Constables 
of  Scotland,  and  from  this  fact  it  has  been  surmised  that 
Sir  Hugh  was  married  to  a  member  of  that  ancient  family. 
There  is  no  trace  of  the  de  Moreville  arms — three  chevrons — now 
to  be  found  on  the  tomb.  Two  shields  bear  the  Arbuthnot 
arms,  very  distinct  and  well  preserved,'  and  showing  the 
mullets  and  crescent  exactly  as  now  borne  by  the  head  of 
the  family  and,  with  slight  variations,  by  all  its  branches. 
Another  shield  shows  the  Stewart  fesse-chequy,  and  a  fourth 
remains  unidentified.  A  fifth  has  completely  disappeared,  and 
a  sixth  has  been  removed  and  fixed  into  the  wall  of  the 
church.  The  latter  is  charged  with  two  mullets  and  a  heart, 
and  it  has  been  suggested  that  it  may  be  an  old  form  of  the 
Douglas  arms  : ' 


The  Arbuthnott  Aisle,  formerly  St.  Mary's  Chapel,  was 
built  by  Sii  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk  in  1505.  Above 
it  is  a  small  chamber,  originally  designed  for  the  use  of  the 

■  Though  always  spoken  of  as  the  tomb  of  Sir  Hugh  le  Blond,  it  has  been 
thought  by  some  to  be  of  rather  later  date,  and  possibly  to  be  the  tomb  of  James 
Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  who  died  in  152 1,  Some  probability  is  given  to  this 
suggestion  by  the  fact  that  one  of  the  heraldic  shields  on  the  tomb  bears  the  arms 
of  Stewart  of  Atholl,  and  James  Arbuthnot 's  wife  was  a  daughter  of  that  house. 
Andrew  Jervise,  in  his  Angus  and  Mearns,  writes  as  follows  :  "  It  is  much  more 
probable  that  the  coffin  slat  which  lies  beside  that  effigy,  and  is  embellished  with 
a  cross,  two  shields  and  a  sword,  had  been  the  tombstone  of  le  Blond,  if  he  had  had 
one.  Its  style,  at  least,  corresponds  more  with  that  of  the  funeral  monuments 
of  the  thirteenth  century,  during  which  he  flourished." — Angus  and  Mearns, 
vol.  i.  p.  34.  An  illustration  showing  this  coffin  slat  has  been  published  in 
Jervise's  Epitaphs  and  Inscriptions  from  Burial  Grounds  and  Old  Buildings  in 
the  North-East  of  Scotland. 

»  See  illustration  facing  p.  70. 

3  James  Arbuthnot 's  great-great-great-grandmother  was  a  Douglas,  daughter 
of  Sir  William  Douglas  of  Dalkeith.  His  wife,  Lady  Jean  Stewart,  was  the  grand- 
daughter of  Margaret  Douglas,  "  the  fair  Maid  of  Galloway."  Either  circum- 
stance might  perhaps  account  for  the  presence  of  the  Douglas  arms  on  the  tomb. 


28  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

officiating  priest  of  St.  Mary's  Chapel.  This  little  chamber, 
which  we  reach  by  a  small  winding  staircase  in  the  round 
tower  at  the  north-west  angle  of  the  chapel,  will  always  be 
connected  with  the  memory  of  James  Sybbald,  Vicar  of 
Arbuthnott,  writer  of  the  Arbuthnoti  Missal,  for  it  was  certainly 
occupied  by  him,  and  tradition  even  states  that  it  was  here 
he  spent  many  precious  hours,  bending  over  the  illuminating 
work  he  must  have  loved,  and  of  which  three  exquisite  examples 
remain.  These  are  the  Arbuthnott  Missal,  the  Psalter, 
and  the  Office  of  St.  Mary,  all  now  in  the  Public  Library  at 
Paisley.' 

The  Missal,  whose  borders  and  initial  letters  are  most 
delicately  and  beautifully  illuminated,  was  undertaken  at 
the  request  of  Sir  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  and  was 
finished  on  the  22nd  of  February,  1491,  "  to  the  praise  and 
honour  of  the  most  blessed  Confessor  Terenanus,  Archbishop, 
patron  of  the  said  church,  by  James  Sybbalde,  Vicar  of  the 
same."  ' 

It  was  used  for  daily  service  in  the  parish  church.  The 
Office  of  the  Virgin,  believed  to  have  been  written  between 
1471  and  1484,  was  used  in  St.  Mary's  Chapel,  and  is  "  a  small 
folio  containing  eighty  leaves  of  vellum,  in  the  original  binding, 
covered  with  the  ancient  linen  slip  or  chemisette.  It  has 
still  attached  to  it  the  original  veils  of  silk  or  crape  to  protect 
the  illuminated  pages."  Some  blank  pages  at  the  end  of  the 
volume  contain  an  obituary  of  the  Arbuthnot  family,  from 
the  death  of  Duncan  de  Aberbothenoth  in  1314  to  1551. 
A  note  gives  the  date  of  James  Sybbald's  death,  nth 
September,  1507.  The  Psalter  was  finished  in  1482,  and  pre- 
sented to  the  Chapel  of  St.  Mary  by  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that 
Ilk,  who  died  in  1505. 

The  Missal  is  specially  interesting  to  students  of  Church 
history,  for  it  is  beheved  to  be  a  unique  MS.  example  of  the 
ancient   pre-Reformation   liturgy   of   Scotland.     It   conforms 

•  These  three  unique  illuminated  manuscripts  were  sold  at  Sotheby's  on 
the  loth  of  December,  1897,  by  order  of  the  trustees  of  the  tenth  Viscount 
Arbuthnott.  They  were  bought  for  ;£i,20o  by  Mr.  Hopkins,  of  Glasgow,  and 
afterwards  acquired  by  Mr.  Archibald  Coats,  who  presented  them  to  the  Free 
Library  of  his  native  town,  Paisley. 

»  Note  in  the  original.  See  account  of  the  Missal  in  the  Eighth  Report  of  the 
Historical  MSS.  Commission,  Appendix,  p.  300. 


THE   ARBUTHNOTTS   OF   KINCARDINESHIRE      29 

very  closely  to  the  Sarum  Use,  which  had  been  adopted  in 
Scotland  from  a  very  early  period,  but  the  Calendar  of  Saints 
varied  very  much  from  the  Proprium  Sanctorum,  containing 
many  more  Scottish  and  fewer  English  saints."  This  was 
usual,  as  the  calendars  often  varied  locally,  according  to  the 
saints  most  held  in  honour  in  each  diocese. 

What  would  not  John  Knox  have  given  to  have  been 
able  to  commit  to  the  flames  these  priceless  memorials  of  a  piety 
that  took  a  form  so  different  from  his  own  fierce  iconoclasm  ? 
Possibly  we  may  owe  the  fact  of  their  preservation  to  the 
intervention  of  Principal  Alexander  Arbuthnot,  who  was 
Presbyterian  minister  of  Arbuthnott  from  1569  onwards, 
and  was  noted  for  his  scholarly  tastes  and  above  all  for  his 
moderation — a  quality  not  often  met  with  in  those  days  of 
fierce  intolerance. 

A  little  later  than  James  Sybbald's  time  the  priest's 
chamber  held  a  library,  consisting  of  books  bequeathed  to 
it  by  Principal  Arbuthnot.'  The  Rev.  John  Sibbald,  minister 
at  a  later  date  (he  belonged,  as  did  the  writer  of  the  Missal, 
to  the  Sibbalds  of  Keir,  and  preceded  the  Rev.  Alexander 
Arbuthnot  at  Arbuthnott),  also  bequeathed  a  number  of  books 
to  the  library,  for  the  benefit  of  succeeding  incumbents,  but 
all  these  have  long  since  disappeared. 

In  the  twelfth  century  the  lands  of  Aberbothenoth  belonged 
partly  to  the  Church  and  partly  to  the  Crown.  In  this  arrange- 
ment we  can  at  once  discern  a  fruitful  source  of  future  contro- 
versy, and,  accordingly,  from  the  time  when  the  Crown  lands 
came  into  the  possession  of  the  first  Hugo  de  Aberbothenoth, 
we  find  a  succession  of  disputes  with  the  ecclesiastical  pro- 
prietors of  the  other  half  of  the  lands. 

This  Hugo  received  the  lands  of  Aberbothenoth  (from 
which  he  took  his  name,  having  previously  been  known  as 
Hugo  de  Swinton)  from  Walter  Oliphard,  whose  father,  or 
uncle,  Osbert  Ohphard,  had  received  them  direct  from  the 
Crown.  He  carried  on  the  controversy  respecting  the  Church 
lands,  which  remained  unsettled  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
The  oldest  of  the  manuscripts  in  Lord  Arbuthnott's  possession 

'  See  Liber  Ecclesie  Beati  Terrenani  de  Arbuthnott  :    Missale  secmidimi  Usum 
EcdesicB  Sancti  Andrece  in  Scotia,  edited  by  Bishop  Forbes,   1864. 
'  Jervise's  Angus  and  Mearns,  vol.  i.  p.  ^i. 


30  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

is  a  decreet  of  1206,  settling  the  dispute  between  Hugo's  son 
Duncan  and  the  Bishop  of  St.  Andrews,  as  to  the  rightful 
ownership  of  the  Kirktown  of  Arbuthnot,  in  favour  of  the 
Bishop.' 

Hugo  de  Aberbothenoth  is  said  to  have  married  a  daughter 
of  Osbert  the  Crusader,  and  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son — 

Duncan  de  Aberbothenoth,  who,  as  we  have  noticed, 
continued  with  spirit  the  controversy  respecting  the  Crown 
lands,  which  was  terminated  in  favour  of  his  opponent 
in  1206. 

Duncan  de  Aberbothenoth  left  two  sons — 

I.  Hugh,  his  heir. 
n.  Alwinus,  living  in  1241. 

The  eldest  son,  Hugh,  succeeded  his  father,  and  was  living 
in  1238.  He  was  in  turn  succeeded  by  another  Hugh,  who  was 
known  as  "  le  Blond,"  from  the  flaxen  colour  of  his  hair, 
and  who  is  the  hero  of  the  old  ballad  familiar  to  all  readers 
of  Sir  Walter  Scott.  This  ballad,  handed  down  by  oral  tradi- 
tion for  centuries  among  the  peasantry  of  the  Mearns,  has  not 
been  and  cannot  be  historically  confirmed,  and  Scott  searched 
in  vain  for  a  Queen  of  Scotland  whose  honour  required  to 
be  vindicated  by  a  knight  in  mortal  combat.  The  nearest 
approach  to  it,  he  tells  us,  is  a  story  of  Mary,  wife  of 
Alexander  H,  who,  about  1242,  was  "  somewhat  imphcated 
in  a  dark  story  concerning  the  murder  of  Patrick  Earl  of 
Athol,"  and  in  this  case  her  name  was  only  drawn  in  indirectly 
as  guaranteeing  the  innocence  of  her  favourite.  Sir  WiUiam 
Bisat,  who  was  accused  of  the  deed.  Bisat  "  offered  the 
combat  to  his  accusers,"  but  was  finally  obliged  to  give  way, 
and  was  banished  from  Scotland.  "It  is  not  impossible," 
says  Sir  Walter,  "  that  some  share  taken  in  it  by  this  Sir 
Hugh  de  Arbuthnot  may  have  given  a  slight  foundation  for 
the  tradition  of  the  country." 

The  words  of  the  ballad  were  recovered  and  transmitted 

'  Eighth  Report  of  the  Historical  MSS.  Commission,  Appendix,  p.  297.  For 
a  theory  as  to  the  origin  of  Hugo  de  Swinton,  see  vol.  i.  of  the  Scots  Peerage, 
pp.  273-4,  where  Mr.  J.  R.  N.  Macphail  suggests  that  he  was  the  son  of  a  certain 
Cospatrick  de  Swinton,  who,  with  his  son  Hugo,  witnessed  a  charter  about  the 
year  11 77. 


THE   ARBUTHNOTTS   OF   KINCARDINESHIRE      31 

to  Sir  Walter  Scott  by  Mr.  Williamson  Burnet  of  Monboddo, 
who  wrote  them  down  "  from  the  recitation  of  an  old  woman 
long  in  the  service  of  the  Arbuthnot  family."  ■ 

The  story  relates  how  the  Queen  of  Scotland,  falsely  accused, 
was  condemned  to  the  savage  fate  of  being  burnt  alive,  from 
which  there  was  no  escape  unless  she  could  find  a  champion 
to  light  and  overthrow  the  villain  Rodingham,  her  accuser, 
whose  addresses  she  had  previously  discouraged. 

"  Alas  !     Alas  !  "  then  cried  our  Qaeen, 
"  Alas,  and  woe  to  me  ! 
There's  not  a  man  in  all  Scotland 
Will  fight  with  him  for  me." 

Her  messengers  rode  forth,  "  south,  east  and  west,"  but 
could  find  "  none  to  fight  with  him  or  enter  the  contest," 
until  they  reached  Sir  Hugh  le  Blond,  who  at  once  responded 
chivalrously  to  the  summons. 

When  unto  him  they  did  unfold 

The  circumstance  all  right, 
He  bade  them  go  and  tell  the  Queen 

That  for  her  he  would  fight. 

The  day  fixed  for  the  contest  arrived,  and  it  appears  that 
Sir  Hugh  was  late  in  keeping  the  appointment.  As  the 
time  wore  on,  the  Queen's  accuser  became  restless  and  showed 
much  unseemly  concern  that  no  more  time  should  be  wasted, 
urging  that  the  faggots  should  be  lighted  and  the  sentence 
carried  out  forthwith. 

"  Put  on  the  fire,"  the  monster  said, 

"  It  is  twelve  on  the  bell." 
"  'Tis  scarcely  ten  now,"  said  the  King, 
"  I  heard  the  clock  mj-sell." 

Sir  Hugh,  however,  presently  appeared,  and  speedily 
obliterated  any  unfortunate  impression  that  may  have  been 
created  by  his  unpunctuality,  for,  after  a  brief  struggle,  his 

'  "  Of  course  the  diction  is  very  much  humbled,  and  it  has,  in  all  probability, 
undergone  many  corruptions  ;  but  its  antiquity  is  indubitable,  and  the  story, 
though  indifferently  told,  is  in  itself  interesting.  It  is  believed  that  there  have 
been  many  more  verses." — Scott's  Minstrelsy  oj  the  Scottish  border,  5th  edition, 
182 1,  vol.  ii.  p.  277. 


32  IMEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

knightly  sword  "  pierced  Rodingham  till  's  heart-blood  did 
appear." 

The  ballad  relates  that  Sir  Hugh  was  in  due  course  rewarded 
for  his  valour  and  gallantry  by  a  gift  of  the  lands  of  Arbuthnot. 
To  quote  the  famihar  passage  : 

The  Queen  then  said  unto  the  King, 

"  Arbattle's  near  the  sea  ; 
Give  it  unto  the  northern  knight 

That  tliis  day  fought  for  me." 

Then  said  the  King,  "  Come  here.  Sir  Knight, 

And  drink  a  glass  of  wine, 
And  if  Arbattle's  not  enough. 

To  it  we'll  Fordoun  join." 

Unfortunately  for  the  accuracy  of  this  narrative  as  to 
detail,  the  lands  of  Arbuthnot,  as  we  have  seen,  had  been  in 
possession  of  the  family  for  some  generations  before  the  time 
of  Sir  Hugh  le  Blond.  Some  historical  foundation  there  may 
have  been  for  the  old  story,  which  was  confidently  believed 
in  and  handed  down  in  affectionate,  if  illiterate,  zeal  by  the 
vassals  on  the  Arbuthnot  lands,  and  preserved  by  them  and 
them  alone  for  centuries,  but  if  so,  all  is  lost  now.  Learning 
and  research  have  failed  to  verify  what  has  welled  up  from  the 
heart  of  the  people ;  but  tradition  has  its  own  laws,  and  some 
of  us  will  Uke  to  think  that  the  exploit  of  Sir  Hugh  had  some 
origin  in  a  long-ago  forgotten  act  of  chivalry,  whose  echo  only 
has  reached  us  in  our  busy,  modern  life. 

Another  famous  deed  attributed  to  Sir  Hugh  le  Blond  is 
the  slaying  of  a  dragon  or  monster  of  some  kind  which  fre- 
quented the  Den  of  Pitcarles,  and  was  the  terror  of  the  country- 
side. In  proof  of  this,  a  round  iron  ball  with  which  he  is 
said  to  have  accomplished  this  feat  is  to  be  seen  in  the  awmrie 
near  his  tomb.  Mr.  Suttie,  however,  suggests  that  this  was 
a  cannon  ball  fired  from  a  French  man-of-war,  which  chased 
a  small  sloop  into  the  mouth  of  the  Bervie  towards  the  end  of 
the  eighteenth  century  ;  and  with  all  due  respect  to  the  talents 
of  Sir  Hugh,  we  shall  probably  feel  that  this  is  a  more  reason- 
able supposition. 

In  1282  Sir  Hugh  le  Blond  made  a  grant  of  land  to  the 
monks  of  Aberbroth.     The  Charter  recording  this  gift  is,  or 


THE   ARBUTHNOTTS    OF   KINCARDINESHIRE     38 

should  be,  in  Lord  Arbuthnott's  possession.  Nisbet  says :  ' 
"  The  original  Donation  (which  I  have  seen)  is  still  in  the  hands 
of  his  Successor,  the  Viscount  of  Arbuthnott,  to  which  the 
said  Hugo's  Seal  is  appended,  and  very  entire  to  this  Day, 
having  thereon  a  Crescent  and  a  Star,  which  with  very  little 
Variation  is  still  the  Arms  of  the  Family." 

With  regard  to  Sir  Hugh  le  Blond,  Nisbet  writes  further  : 
"  This  Hugh  died  about  the  end  of  the  Thirteenth  Century, 
and  was  buried  with  his  Ancestors,  in  the  Burial-Place  of  the 
Family,  at  the  Church  of  Arbuthnott,  where  his  Statue  is  still 
to  be  seen,  cut  in  Stone,  at  the  full  length,  in  a  lying  Posture, 
together  with  his  own,  and  his  Lady's  Arms,  which  are  three 
Cheverons  ;  of  whose  Quality  and  Parentage,  altho'  the  History 
of  the  Family  be  altogether  silent,'  yet  from  the  Identity  of  the 
Arms,  it  seems  very  probable  that  she  was  a  Daughter,  or 
at  least  a  very  near  Relation,  of  the  great  and  ancient  Family 
of  the  Morvills,  who  were  Constables  of  Scotland  for  several 
generations,  and  who  bore  precisely  the  same  Arms,  as  appears 
by  several  Charters  still  extant,  to  which  these  Seals  are 
appended."' 

Sir  Hugh  le  Blond  was  succeeded  by  his  son — 

Duncan  de  Aberbothenoth,  who  seems  to  have  lived  quietly 
on  his  own  property  and  not  to  have  come  forward  into  the 
public  affairs  of  his  time  in  any  way.  We  have  the  date  of 
his  death,  13th  December,  1314,  and  we  know  that  he  left  a 
daughter  to  whom  he  gave  the  lands  of  Fiddes  in  tocher  on 
her  marriage  with  Straiton  of  Lauriston.  Duncan  had  a 
son  of  the  same  name,  who  was  his  successor — 

Duncan  de  Aberbothenoth,  who  survived  his  father  only 
a  short  time  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son — 

Hugo  de  Aberbothenoth,  who  lived  about  the  middle  of 

'  Nisbci's  Heraldry,  vol.  ii.,  Appendix,  pp.  87-S. 

>  The  allusion  is  to  Principal  Alexander  Arbutlinot's  Latin  history  of  the 
family,  a  sixteenth-century  document  of  incomparable  interest,  largely  compiled 
from  ancient  records  no  longer  extant.  It  is  preserved  among  the  treasures  at 
Arbuthnott  House. 

3  Nisbet's  Heraldry,  vol.  ii.,  Appendix,  p.  88.  As  has  been  said,  there  is  now 
no  trace  of  the  Moreville  arms  to  be  found  on  the  tomb,  and  as  it  has  been  doubted 
whether  the  old  tomb  in  Arbuthnott  Church  is  that  of  Sir  Hugh  le  Bond  at  all. 
but  whether  it  is  not  rather  that  of  a  much  later  Laird  of  Arbuthnot,  it  is  evident 
that  the  identification  of  his  wife  must  be  accepted  with  extreme  reserve.  See 
p.  27,  note. 

8 


34  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

the  fourteenth  century,  at  the  commencement  of  the  reign 
of  David  II.     He  was  succeeded  by  his  son — 

Phihp  de  Aberbothenoth.  Of  his  pubHc  acts  we  know  little, 
except  that  he  was  a  benefactor  to  the  Church  of  the  Carmelite 
Friars  at  Aberdeen.  On  25th  April,  1355,  he  granted  to  them 
an  annual  rent  of  13s.  4d.  for  repairing  their  church  and  for 
the  well-being  of  the  souls  of  himself,  his  parents  and  friends. 
This  donation  establishes  that  he  had  succeeded  to  the  estates 
before  that  date.' 

In  the  Eighth  Report  of  the  Historical  MSS.  Commission 
an  amusing  account — taken  from  Principal  Arbuthnot's 
History — is  given  of  this  Philip  and  the  circumstances  which 
led  to  his  second  marriage.  His  first  wife  was  Janet  Keith, 
a  daughter  of  Sir  William  Keith,  Great  Marischal  of  Scotland, 
and  by  her  he  had  two  daughters,  but,  to  his  great  grief,  no 
son.  She  pre-deceased  him,  and  Philip,  "  dreading  that  his 
ancient  house  should  be  ruined  by  division  of  the  heritage 
between  his  daughters,  so  grieved  about  the  matter  that  from 
that  or  other  causes  he  fell  into  'ane  heavy  disease.'  "  Be- 
lieving himself  to  be  dying,  he  sent  for  his  father-in-law  to 
ask  his  advice  as  to  whether  he  should  strike  his  daughters 
out  of  the  inheritance  and  settle  all  upon  the  heir-male — 
a  plan  that  would  at  least  preserve  the  property  intact.  It 
is  not  perhaps  very  surprising  that  the  Marischal  advised  him 
to  make  no  such  unnatural  arrangement,  but  to  leave  the 
law  to  take  its  course  and  the  estate  to  be  divided.  The 
Marischal  further  exhorted  him  to  make  an  effort  to  overcome 
his  disease.  Philip,  taking  the  latter  part  of  his  advice, 
rallied  his  forces  with  "  good  courage,"  and  struggled  against 
his  weakness,  assisted  and  strengthened  by  a  growing  deter- 
mination to  find  some  other  means  of  avoiding  the  sub-division 
of  the  estates.  "  He  rapidly  recovered,  and  proceeded  to 
'  take  purpois  of  new  marriage.'  .  .  .  Visiting  frequently  at 
the  Castle  of  Dalkeith,  held  by  Sir  WiUiam  Douglas,  he  found 
that  '  this  lord  had  certane  dochtaris,  virginis,  and  meit  for 
marriage.'  '  Liking  their  bewtie  and  conditionis,'  he  pro- 
posed to  their  father  for  one  of  them.  Being  accepted,  the 
marriage  was  completed,  as  the  family  historian  says,  with 
magnificent  preparations."     His  hopes  were  fulfilled,  and  by 

•  See  Scots  Peerage,  vol.  i.  p.  276. 


THE   ARBUTHNOTTS    OF    KINCARDINESHIRE     85 

his  second  wife,  Margaret  Douglas  (who  is  said  to  have  married 
secondly  Fleming  of  Braid),  he  had,  with  other  children, 
whose  names  are  not  known —  li  '^5S*9() 

Hugh,  his  successor. 

Margaret,  or  Marjorie,  who  married  her  cousin,  Sir  William 
Monypenny  (dispensation  being  dated  24th  February,  1410), 
and  by  him  was  the  mother  of  WiUiam,  created  Lord  Mony- 
penny. 

The  son,  Hugh  Arbuthnot,  the  first  to  be  called  "  of 
Arbuthnot "  (according  to  the  Report  of  the  Historical  MSS. 
Commission),  "played  a  considerable  part  in  the  history 
of  his  house,  though  no  documents  executed  by  him  remain, 
save  his  testament,  dated  13th  March,  1446,  and  confirmed 
29th  June,  1447."  Round  the  name  of  Hugh  Arbuthnot 
hangs  the  ghastly  tradition  of  the  murder  of  John  Melville 
of  Glenbervie,  Sheriff  of  the  Mearns  in  1420.  It  is  said  that 
Hugh  Arbuthnot  and  his  followers,  desiring  to  please  the 
Regent,'  who  was  at  that  time  incensed  against  the  Sheriff, 
invited  the  latter  to  a  hunting  party  in  Garvock,  and  there, 
seizing  and  casting  him  into  a  caldron,  proceeded  to  boil  the 
contents,  and  then  to  help  themselves  to  a  spoonful  all  round. 

Principal  Arbuthnot's  account,  however,  gives  no  such 
gruesome  details  with  regard  to  his  relative's  exploit.  He 
relates  that  the  Sheriff,  having  become  puffed  up  with  pride, 
riches,  the  number  of  his  dependants  and  so  on,  had  greatly 
offended  his  neighbours  by  his  haughty  demeanour.  "  A  day 
of  conference  between  the  Sheriff  and  his  opponents  was  ap- 
pointed, but  the  result  of  their  meeting  was  only  greater 
provocation.  Wherefore  the  Barons  '  persewed  Jhone  as 
he  was  returning  home,  and  having  overtane  him,  nocht 
far  from  S.  James'  Kirk  of  Garvah  hill,  thai  set  upone  him  and 
slayis  him.'  After  the  murder,  the  confederates,  knowing 
that  Hugh  of  Arbuthnott,  being  their  chief,  would  be  marked 
as  a  special  subject  for  vengeance,  left  their  own  houses  and 
mustered  to  defend  the  house  of  Arbuthnott.  Finding,  how- 
ever, that  the  place  was  not  sufficiently  strong,  they  laid 
the  foundation  of  the  present  castle,  and  raised  the  work  to 
such  a  height  as  to  form  a  safe  refuge  in  all  local  feuds.     On 

'  The  Regent  Albany,  who  governed  the  country  from  1406  to  1419,  during 
the  imprisonment  of  James  I,  Scotland's  poet-King,  in  England; 


36  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

this  the  chronicler  remarks  that  the  deed,  which  might  have 
brought  ruin,  resulted  in  greater  honour  to  the  family  and  the 
acquiring  of  a  stronger  castle.  It  will  be  seen  from  this  narra- 
tive that  the  more  revolting  elements  of  the  tradition  are 
discredited,  the  affair  being  resolved  into  a  mere  local  feud, 
and  the  murder  done  in  hot  blood,  and  not  under  the  guise 
of  friendship  or  with  savage  accessories."  ' 

Hugh  Arbuthnot  and  others  of  the  confederates  escaped 
all  evil  consequences  which  might  have  followed  this  deed 
by  claiming  kinship  with  the  clan  of  Macduff,  who  possessed 
privileges  in  cases  of  this  kind,  granted  to  them  and 
their  kinsfolk  only.  On  the  ground  of  this  kinship  Hugh 
Arbuthnot  and  his  companions  received  a  remission  for  the 
deed. 

A  copy  of  the  remission  to  Hugh  Arbuthnot  and  his  accom- 
plices in  this  murder  is  among  the  MSS.  in  the  Advocates' 
Library,  Edinburgh,^  written  in  a  seventeenth-century  hand. 
In  it  Johnston  Stuart  of  Fyfe  sends  "  Till  all  men  thir  present 
letters  to  comes  .  .  .  wit  ye,  we  have  ressavit  Hugh  Arbuthnot" 
(and  others)  .  .  .  "to  the  lawes  of  Clane  Macduff,  for  the 
deid  of  quhillome  Johne  the  Malaville,  Laird  of  Glenbervy.  .  .  . 
Quhairefore  to  all  and  sundrie  that  it  effairs,  firmly  we  forbid 
on  the  King's  halfe  of  Scotland,  and  our  Lord  Macduff,  Duke 
of  Albany,  Earle  of  Fyfe  and  Monteith,  and  Governor  of  Scot- 
land .  .  .  that  no  man  take  a  hand  to  doe,  molest,  greive,  or 
wrange  the  foirsaid  persons  in  their  bodies,  or  in  their  geir, 
because  of  the  deid  of  the  said  Johne  of  Malavill.  ...  In 
witness  of  the  whilk,  this  our  seal  to  this  present  hes  put. 
Att  Falkland,  the  first  of  September  the  yeir  of  God  142 1 
yeirs." 

Hugh  married  Janet  Keith,  daughter  of  Sir  Robert  Keith 
of  Dunnottar,  Great  Marischal  of  Scotland.  She  died  in  1419 
and  he  in  1446.3     He  had  issue,  besides  a  daughter,  Margaret, 

»  Eighth  Report  of  the  Historical  MSS.  Commission,  Appendix,  p.  297. 

»  It  has  been  printed  in  full  in  James  Maidment's  Analecta  Scotica,  2nd  Series, 
pp.  30-31- 

3  A  copy  of  the  will  of  Hugh  Arbuthnot  is  among  the  Arbuthnot  Papers  in 
the  Advocates'  Library,  Edinburgh.  It  appears  that  his  debts  at  the  time  of 
his  demise  amounted  to  £92  12s.  jd.,  including  35s.  owing  to  "  James  of  Arbuth- 
not." He  assigns  certain  sums  for  his  burial  and  for  masses,  and  leaves  the  residue 
to  his  son  and  heir,  "  Robert  of  Arbuthnot,"  and  to  Sir  Alexander  of  Erth,  Vicar 
of  Kinneff,  both  of  whom  are  appointed  his  executors. 


THE   ARBUTHNOTTS    OF   KINCARDINESHIRE     37 

who  married  Andrew  Menzies,  Provost  of  Aberdeen,  and  was 
ancestress  of  the  Pitfoddels  family,  a  son — ■ 

Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Arbuthnot,  who  survived  his  father 
four  years,  dying  in  1450.  He  married  Giles  Ogilvy,  daughter 
of  Sir  Walter  Ogilvy  of  Lintrathen,  High  Treasurer  of  Scotland. 
By  her  he  had  issue — 

I.  David,  his  heir,  of  whom  presently. 
II.  Hugh,  whose  line  we  shall  treat  in  much  detail  later. 

III.  Robert,  described  as  "  in  Banff,"  a  holding  on  the 

Arbuthnot  estate.  He  married  .  .  .  Lychtoun, 
and  appears  to  have  had  (though  not  by  her) 
two  sons,  John    and  William,  living   in    1488  and 

1503- 

IV.  Alexander,  behaved  to  have  died  young. 

V.  James,  married  a  daughter  of  Grahame  of  Morphia 

and  left  issue. 
VI.  Wilham,  said  to  have  married  a  lady  of  the  name 
of  Abirkyrdo  of  Dundee,  and  to  have  left  issue. 
I.  Catherine,  wife  of  John  Allardyce  of  that  Ilk,  by 
whom  she  had  issue. 

David  Arbuthnot  of  Arbuthnot,  eldest  son  of  Robert 
Arbuthnot  and  Giles  Ogilvy,  married  Elizabeth  Durham  of 
Grange,  and  died  8th  October,  1470.' 

By  Ehzabeth  Durham,  whose  will  was  confirmed  in  Septem- 
ber, 1488,'-  he  had  issue— 

'  The  inventory  of  his  goods  was  made  at  Arbuthnot,  5th  November,  1470. 
He  was  stated  to  have  cattle  and  goods  in  Arbuthnot  and  "  Futhas."  "  Hugh 
of  Arbuthnot  "  owes  him  100  merks,  of  which  40  are  to  be  remitted  if  the  debt 
is  readily  paid.  He  leaves  26s.  8d.  to  "  James  Arbuthnot,"  desires  his  body  to 
be  buried  in  the  parish  church  of  Arbuthnot,  before  the  altar  of  the  Virgin,  and 
bequeathes  certain  sums  to  that  church  and  the  altars  therein,  and  20s.  to  the 
Prior  and  Friars  of  Montrose.  His  executors  are  Elizabeth  his  spouse,  and 
"  Robert  of  Arbuthnot,"  his  son  and  heir,  who  are  to  act  under  the  guidance  of 
his  brothers  Robert,  James,  and  William,  all  styled  "  of  Arbuthnot."  The  testa- 
ment was  confirmed  20th  October,  1470,  and  ratified  by  the  Bishop  of  St.  Andrews, 
6th  January,   1470-1. — Arbuthnot  Papers,  in  the  Advocates'  Library,  Edinburgh. 

>  Arbuthnot  Papers,  Advocates'  Library.  In  this  document  she  is  styled 
"  Lady  of  Pitkerles."  The  inventory  of  her  goods  was  made  on  the  loth  March, 
1487,  in  the  presence  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk  and  others  (including  "  Sir 
James  Sybbald,  Vicar  of  Arbutlinot,  notary  "),  when  it  was  found  that  she  was 
owing  to  the  Laird  of  Arbuthnot,  her  son,  £^,  besides  80  merks  for  the  marriage 
of  her  daughter  Katherine.  She  appoints  her  body  to  be  buried  in  the  parish 
church  of  Arbuthnot,  before  the  altar,  beside  the  body  of  her  well-beloved  David 


38  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

I.  Robert,  his  heir. 
II.  Hugh,  a  physician  in  France,  where  he  settled  and 
left  issue,  "  but  their  names  are  changed  as  the 
the  fashion  is   there   and  so  the  surname  either 
lurks  unknown  or  it  is  perished."  ' 
I.  Elizabeth,  married  to  Patrick  Barclay  of  Garntully. 
She  was  his  wife  in  1464,  and  was  living  in  1506. 
II.  Giles,  married   first   to   Cargill   of   Lessington,  and 
secondly  to  Alexander  Eraser  of  Durris. 

III.  Christina,  Uving  1487. 

IV.  Catherine,  married  before  3rd  June,  1487,  to  Alex- 

ander Grahame,  son  of  David  Grahame  of  Morphie, 
known  as  Tutor  of  Morphie.     Living  1487. 

Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Arbuthnot,  son  of  David  Arbuthnot 
and  Elizabeth  Durham,  was  named  executor  to  his  father's 
will  in  1470,  and  served  heir  loth  November,  1471.  He  stood 
high  in  the  favour  of  James  III  and  James  IV,  and  made  some 
judicious  additions  to  the  family  estates.  He  also  obtained 
possession  of  the  Barony  of  Fiddes,  which  had  formerly  belonged 
to  his  family,  but  had  been  alienated  from  it  for  two  centuries. 
He  completed  the  building  of  the  Castle  of  Arbuthnot,  begun 
by  his  ancestor,  Hugh  de  Arbuthnot,  at  the  time  of  the  slaying 
of  Melville  of  Glenbervie,  adding  battlements,  a  vaulted 
gateway,  and  other  embellishments.  He  was  also  a  benefactor 
to  the  Church  of  St.  Ternan,  Arbuthnott,  to  which  he  added 
the  Arbuthnott  Aisle,  or  Chapel  of  St.  Mary,  as  it  used  to  be 
called,  which  has  been  for  centuries  the  burial-place  of  the 
Lairds  and  Viscounts  of  Arbuthnott.  By  his  direction  the 
Arbuthnott  Missal  was  written  and  completed  in  1491.  He 
also  presented  the  church  with  two  bells,  and  further  made 
a  grant  in  mortmain  of  an  annuity  chargeable  on  his  lands 
of  Halgreen  for  supporting  a  chaplain  to  perform  the  services 
at  St  Ternan's. 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  deceased.  She  leaves  to  Mr.  Hugh  Arbuthnot,  her  son, 
10  merks  ;  to  Christine,  her  daughter,  40s.  ;  some  clothing  and  other  things, 
including  a  girdle  and  a  "  mataxa,"  to  be  divided  between  her  and  Katherine, 
also  her  daughter,  to  whom  she  leaves  a  coffer.  The  will  is  endorsed  :  "  Durhame, 
Lady  of  Arbuthnot's  testament,    1483   [sic]." 

'  Scots  Peerage,  vol.  i.  p.  281.  The  quotation  is  from  the  translation  of 
Principal  Arbuthnot's  History  of  the  Arbuthnot  Family,  by  Mr.  Morrison, 
minister  of  Benholme. 


THE   ARBUTHNOTTS    OF   KINCARDINESHIRE     39 

In  1482  he  is  mentioned  as  one  of  the  friends  "  of  baytht 
parties  "  in  a  contract  of  marriage  between  WilUam  Keith, 
afterwards  third  Earl  Marischal,  and  EUzabeth,  daughter  of 
the  Earl  of  Huntly.' 

In  the  same  year  a  Plenary  Indulgence  was  granted  to 
Robert  Arbuthnot  and  Marion  Scrymgeour,  his  wife,  in  return 
for  contributions  made  by  them  towards  the  Crusade  against 
the  Turks.  This  was  granted  by  Friar  John  Lytstar,  Vicar- 
General  of  the  Friars  Minors  in  Scotland,  and  is  dated  at 
Arbuthnott,  30th  April,  1482.' 

In  1487  he  and  Marion  Scrymgeour  were  received  into  the 
Order  of  the  Friars  Minors  of  Observance,  with  participation 
in  all  the  benefits  of  the  Order.' 

In  1489  he  received  a  letter  from  the  King,  from  Stirling, 
bidding  him  to  hold  himself  in  readiness  and  "  kepe  his  howsys 
and  strenthis,"  because  the  Earl  Marischal,  the  Master  of 
Huntly,  Lord  Forbes  and  others,  are  "  making  certane  ligs 
and  bands  at  the  Castell  of  Dunbertane."  ^ 

In  1490  Robert  Arbuthnot  and  his  wife  had  licence  to 
carry  about  with  them  a  portable  altar  and  to  say  Mass  at 
any  time  and  place  convenient  to  them  ;  this  was  dated  at 
Rome,  the  nones  of  May,  1490.' 

He  married,  first,  Margaret  Wishart,  daughter  of  James 
Wishart  of  Pitarrow,  and  by  her  had  a  son— 

I.  Ambrose,  alive  in  1483,  but  died  young,  when  at 
school    at    Brechin. 

He  married  secondly  Mariota  (or  Marion)  Scrymgeour, 
daughter  of  Sir  James  Scrymgeour  of  Dudhope,  Constable 
of  Dundee,  the  contract  being  dated  loth  September,  1475.' 

'  Collections  for  the  History  of  Aberdeen  and  Banff,  vol.  iv.  p.  35. 

>  Arbuthnot  Papers,  Advocates'  Library'. 

J  Ibid. 

«  Nisbet's  Heraldry,  vol.  ii..  Appendix,  p.  89. 

J  Arbuthnot  Papers. 

'  Marion  Scrymgeour  died  in  15 18,  and  in  her  testament  she  directs  that  her 
body  shall  be  buried  at  the  side  of  the  choir  in  the  Church  of  Arbuthnot,  founded 
by  the  deceased  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk  and  herself.  She  leaves  to  her 
grandson  Andrew  Arbutlinot  ;^2o.  to  her  son  Andrew  Arbuthnot  all  the  com 
in  her  town  of  "  Quhytlield  "  and  100  sheep  there,  and  the  rest  of  her  goods  to 
her  son  Robert,  whom  she  appoints  her  executor.  The  will  was  confirmed  24th 
December,   15 18. — Arbuthnot  Papers. 


40  MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

By  her  he  had  issue — 

II.  James,  his  heir. 

III.  Robert,    who    married    Marion    Lundie,    sister    of 

Robert  Lundie  of  Benholm,  and  widow  of  Alex- 
ander Keith  of  Pittendrum,  son  of  WilUam,  third 
Earl  Marischal.  The  marriage  contract  is  dated 
22nd  September,  1515.  His  name,  as  "  Mr. 
Robert  Arbuthnot,"  appears  in  the  Arbuthnot 
entails  of  1542  and  1545.  He  seems  for  a  time 
to  have  been  in  occupation  of  the  lands  of  Banff, 
and  had  a  natural  son,  Andrew,  who  obtained 
letters  of  legitimation  in  September,   1553. 

IV.  George,    living    in  1509.     He  is  said  to  have  died 

in  France,  and  to  have  left  no  issue. 

V.  Andrew,  in  Pitcarles,  of  whom  presently. 

I.  Elizabeth,  married  first  Thomas  Fotheringham  of 
Powrie,  and  secondly  Martin  of  Cardowne. 

II.  Catherine,  married  first  (before  September,  1499) 
David  Auchinleck,  eldest  son  of  Hugh  Auchinleck 
of  that  Ilk,  and  secondly  (in  15 15)  Gilbert 
Turing  of  Foveran, — dispensation  dated  12th 
April,  1515. 

III.  Christian,  married  Alexander  Eraser  of  Durris. 

IV.  Giles,    married   first    Henry   Grahame   of   Morphie, 

secondly    Andrew    Strachan    of    Tibbertie,    and 
thirdly  Thomas  Fraser  of  Stonywood. 
V.  Janet,    married   first    (before   9th  December,    1512) 
Alexander  Falconer,  eldest  son  of  George  Falconer 
of  Halkerton,  and  secondly  George  Auchinleck 
of  Over  Kinnimonth. 
VI.  Mariota,  married  James  Bisset  of  Easter  Kinneff. 
VII.  Isabel,  died  before  15th  January,  1535. 

One  of  these  daughters,  or  another  whose  name  is  not 
known,  was  married  to  David  Rait  of  Drumnagar,  the  marriage 
contract  being  dated  23rd  January,  1490.' 

Robert  Arbuthnot  had  also  a  natural  son,  Patrick,  who 
studied  medicine  in  France  and  attained  to  great  skill  in  his 
profession.     He  was  appointed  physician  to    King   James  V, 

•  Arbuthnot  Papers. 


THE   ARBUTHNOTTS    OF   KINCARDINESHIRE     41 

and  various  entries  respecting  payments  to  him  are  found  in 
the  accounts  of  the  Lord  High  Treasurer.  For  instance,  in 
1527,  we  find  the  following  entry  : 

"  Item,  to  Doctor  Arbuthnot,  the  Kingis  mediciner,  away- 
tand  daily  on  the  Kingis  service,  to  his  expens  be  the  Kingis 
precept — £240." 

And  in  1531  : 

"  Item,  to  Doctour  Arbuthnot  quhen  he  lay  seik, — £20. 

In  1533  we  read  : 

"  Item,  the  third  day  of  October,  to  ane  boy  to  pas  with 
writingis  fra  my  lordis  Thesaurer  and  secretar  to  Doctour 
Arbuthnot  to  cause  him  cum  to  Edinburgh — 4/-." 

In  the  Exchequer  Rolls  sundry  payments  to  him  are  noted 
for  fodder  for  his  horses,  his  annual  allowance  for  this  purpose 
being  fixed  at  ;^26  13s.  4d. 

From  153 1  onwards  he  appears  as  the  recipient  of  a  pension 
of  ;^66  13s.  4d. 

In  February  ,1530-31,  he  had  letters  of  legitimation  granted 
him.  A  note  in  the  Arbuthnott  Missal  states  that  he  died  in  1540 
and  that  he  had  been  Rector  of  Menmuir  and  Newlands,  and 
Canon  of  Dunkeld. 

Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Arbuthnot  died  in  1505. 

The  fifth  son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  and  Mariota  Scrymgeour, 
Andrew,  "  in  Pitcarles,"  received  from  George  Straiton  a 
charter  of  the  lands  of  Little  Fiddes  to  himself  in  liferent 
and  to  his  son  Robert  in  fee.  He  is  said  to  have  greatly  as- 
sisted his  son.  Principal  Arbuthnot,  in  the  compilation  of  the 
History  of  the  Arbuthnot  Family.  His  testament  was  recorded 
i6th  January,  1571,  he  having  died  in  August,  1570.  His 
estate  consisted  of  farm-stock  valued  at  ^^721  12s.  4d.  There 
was  owing  to  him  a  debt  of  ;^i6o  by  his  son  George.  One 
hundred  merks  of  this  he  leaves  to  Katherine  Arbuthnot, 
"  eldest  daughter  of  the  said  George,  towards  her  marriage, 
and  the  remainder  to  be  equally  divided  among  the  rest  of  the 
said  George  Arbuthnot's  children."  He  discharges  all  debts 
owing  to  him  by  his  eldest  son,  Robert.  To  Mr.  Alexander 
Arbuthnot,  his  youngest  son,  he  leaves  the  steading  and  room 
of  Pitcarles.  He  appoints  his  three  sons,  Robert,  George  and 
Mr.  Alexander  to  be  his  executors.     He  leaves  to  his  daughter 


42  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

Katherine  and  her  husband,  Alexander  Arbuthnot  (unidenti- 
fied), £40,  and  to  all  his  children  his  blessing. 

Andrew  Arbuthnot  in  Pitcarles  married  Elizabeth  Strachan, 

daughter  of  Alexander  Strachan  of  Thornton,  and  by  her  had — 

I.  Robert,  who  succeeded  his  father  in  the  estate  of 

Little  Fiddes. 
II.  George,  who,  as  we  have  seen,  had  a  daughter 
Katherine  and  other  children  not  mentioned 
by  name  in  their  grandfather's  will.  This  George 
was  most  probably  identical  with  George  Arbuth- 
not "  in  Barnehill,"  in  the  parish  of  Kinneff, 
who  died  in  August,  1573.  If  so,  Katherine  may 
have  been  dead  by  that  year,  for  she  is  not 
mentioned  in  the  will  of  George  Arbuthnot  in 
Barnehill,  recorded  13th  February,  1581-2.  The 
children  named  therein  are  John,  Andrew,  George, 
William,  Archibald,  and  Mai-garet.  Among  debts 
owing  to  him  at  the  time  of  his  death  is  one  of  £S 
due  from  Robert  Arbuthnot  "  of  Little  Futheis." 
In  1595  we  find  mention  of  a  Robert  Arbuthnot 
"  in  Barnehill,"  burgess  of  Aberdeen,  who  gets 
sasine  of  some  fishing  on  the  Don  as  heir  male 
of  conquest  to  "  the  deceast  Mr.  Alexander 
Arbuthnot,  Principal  of  the  College  of  Aberdeen 
and  burgess  thereof,  father's  brother  of  the  said 
Robert."  It  is  reasonable  to  assume  that  this 
Robert  was  the  eldest  son  of  the  above-named 
George  Arbuthnot,  as  otherwise  it  is  difficult 
to  see  how  he  could  have  been  nephew  to  Principal 
Arbuthnot.  The  eldest  son  was  frequently  not 
mentioned  in  his  father's  will,  if  already  provided 
for.  We  find  that  the  mother  of  Robert  Arbuthnot 
"  in  Barnehill  "  was  Elizabeth  (or  Isobel)  Moncur, 
living  in  1609,  who  seems  to  have  married 
secondly  Andrew  Grahame  of  Fernyflett.  Robert 
Arbuthnot  in  Barnehill  appears  to  have  been 
husband  of  Margaret  Fullertoun  in  1596,  in  a 
transaction  relating  to  land  in  Inverbervie, 
redeemed  by  Mr.  Jerome  Lindsay  in  that  year. 

»  Arbuthnot  Papers,  Advocates'  Library. 


THE   ARBUTHNOTTS    OF   KINCARDINESHIRE     43 

III.  Alexander,   Principal   of   King's   College,   Aberdeen, 
of  whom  below. 
I.  Katherine,    married   to   Alexander   Arbuthnot,    and 
had  issue. 

The  third  son,  Principal  Alexander  Arbuthnot,  was  a  very 
learned  and  distinguished  member  of  the  family,  being  noted 
as  an  ardent  Presbyterian  divine,  a  scholar,  poet,  philosopher, 
mathematician  and  chemist.  He  was  educated  at  St.  Andrews, 
and  later  at  Bourges,  whence  he  returned  to  Scotland  in  1566, 
with  the  intention  of  becoming  an  advocate.  He,  however, 
relinquished  this  idea,  and  was  shortly  afterwards  ordained 
a  preacher  of  the  Reformed  Church.  It  was  about  the  year 
1567,  according  to  Mr.  Macphail,  that  he  compiled  his  Latin 
History  of  the  Arhnthnot  Family,  the  original  MS.  of  which 
is  fortunately  extant  and  in  Lord  Arbuthnott's  possession. 
The  author  tells  us  that  he  had  the  assistance  of  his  father 
while  putting  it  together,  the  latter  being  an  old  man  of 
seventy,  who,  besides  supplying  many  facts  from  his  own 
knowledge  and  recollection,  was  able  to  transmit  to  his  son 
many  tales  of  bygone  days  related  to  him  by  his  own  forebears. 
Principal  Arbuthnot's  work  is  entitled  Originis  et  Incrementi 
FamilicB  Arbuthnoticcs,  Descriptio  Historica,  and,  after  receiv- 
ing several  additions  from  Mr.  Robert  Arbuthnot,  his  relative 
and  successor  as  minister  at  Arbuthnott,  it  was  translated 
into  quaint  old  Scots  by  Mr.  Morrison,  parson  of  Benholme." 
Some  years  later,  a  continuation  of  this  work  was  written  by 
the  Rev.  Alexander  Arbuthnot,  also  minister  of  Arbuthnott, 
and  father  of  Dr.  John  Arbuthnot,  physician  to  Queen  Anne. 

Principal  Alexander  Arbuthnot  was  minister  of  Logic 
Buchan  in  1568,  and  of  Forve  and  Arbuthnott  in  1569.  In 
the  latter  year  he  was   elected    Principal  of   King's  College, 

I  John  Moir,  who  examined  the  original  MS.,  states  that  the  translation  is 
rather  free,  and,  being  written  in  the  old  Scottish  dialect,  sometimes  assumes  a 
ludicrous  character.  For  instance,  he  tells  us  that,  "  After  a  curious  Dedication 
the  author  defines,  in  rather  a  singular  manner,  the  higher  and  lower  ranks — the 
former  of  whom  he  terms  Nobilis  and  the  latter  Rascallis  (Nobles  and  Rascals) 
— a  singularity  of  expression  to  be  attributed  to  the  translator,  or,  rather,  to 
the  peculiar  modes  of  writing  and  thinking  then  prevalent  in  Scotland  ;  for  when 
the  translator  denominates  the  lower  ranks  rascals,  on  turning  to  the  corresponding 
word  in  the  original,  we  find  plebs  is  used,  signifying  common  p$opU,  and  so  of 
other  words." — John  Moir's  MS.  History. 


44  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

Aberdeen,  being  the  first  of  the  Reformed  Church  to  hold 
that  office.  In  1572  he  attended  the  General  Assembly 
which  met  at  St.  Andrews,  and  in  the  same  year  he  published 
at  Edinburgh  his  Orationes  de  Origine  et  Dignitate  Juris,  of 
which,  unfortunately,  not  a  single  copy  is  known  to  exist.  In 
1573  he  was  chosen  Moderator  of  the  General  Assembly,  which 
met  in  Edinburgh.  In  1574  he  was  directed  to  assist  with 
other  learned  authorities  in  drawing  up  a  plan  of  ecclesiastical 
government  for  the  consideration  of  the  Assembly  —  "to 
confer,  reason  and  put  in  forme  the  ecclesiastical  pohcy  and 
ordour  of  the  governing  of  the  Kirk  as  they  sail  find  maist 
agreable  to  the  trewth  of  goddis  word,"  etc. 

In  October,  1575,  he  obtained  for  600  merks  a  tack  of  the 
shadow  half  of  the  town  and  lands  of  Kincorth,  in  the  Barony 
of  Torry,  in  Kincardineshire,  from  Gilbert  Menzies  of  Cowley 
and  Robert  Menzies,  his  brother,  burgess  of  Aberdeen.  These 
lands  were  wadset  to  him  and  the  "  heirs  of  his  body,  whom 
failing,  to  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Little  Futhes,  his  brother- 
german,  for  his  lifetime,  and  after  him  to  John  Arbuthnot, 
second  son  of  the  said  Robert,"  etc.  ' 

On  26th  January,  1575-6,  a  contract  was  signed  between 
Principal  Arbuthnot  and  Alexander  Chalmer,  younger,  burgess 
of  Aberdeen,  whereby  the  latter  wadsets  to  him  (with  remainder 
to  his  brother  and  nephew  as  before)  the  lands  of  KingshilL' 

In  1577  he  was  once  more  chosen  Moderator  of  the  General 
Assembly,  and  a  little  later  he  and  two  others  were  desired 
by  the  Assembly  to  request  the  King  to  dismiss  the  French 
Ambassador,  for  persisting  in  popish  practices.  Doubtless 
these  and  other  activities  tended  to  aUenate  the  King,  who 
looked  with  little  favour  on  the  rapid  growth  and  development 
of  the  powerful  and  ultra-democratic  Presbyterian  party  in 
the  Church. 

In  1583,  when  he  had  been  chosen  minister  of  St.  Andrews 
by  the  Assembly,  he  received  an  imperious  Royal  command 
to  return  to  his  duties  at  King's  College,  Aberdeen,  on  pain  of 
being  put  to  the  horn.  This  severity  is  said  to  have  hastened 
his  end.  He  sank  into  a  decline,  and  died  on  the  i6th  of 
October,  1583,  in  his  forty-fifth  year.  He  was  buried  in  the 
parish  church  of  St.  Nicholas,  Aberdeen,  "  afor  the  pulpitt," 

•  Aberdeen  Burgh  Court  Deeds.  »  Ibid. 


THE   ARBUTHNOTTS    OF   KINCARDINESHIRE     45 

but  there  appears  to  be  no  stone  to  mark  the  spot.  A  tablet 
bearing  his  arms  is  to  be  seen  on  the  north  wall  of  Arbuthnott 
Church,  and,  more  recently,  his  arms  have  been  twice  intro- 
duced into  the  side  windows  of  the  Mitchell  Hall,  Marischal 
College,  Aberdeen. 

"  He  was,"  writes  Mackenzie,'  "  as  we  have  said,  one  of 
the  great  promoters  of  the  Reformation,  and  consulted  by  all 
their  General  Assembhes  in  the  affairs  of  their  Church,  and 
although  he  was  of  the  same  Principles  with  Buchanan  and 
Mr.  Andrew  Melvil,  yet  he  was  much  more  moderate  ;  and  if 
he  was  not  so  good  a  Poet  as  Buchanan,  or  so  great  a  Master 
of  the  purity  of  the  Roman  Language  as  he  was,  yet  he  was 
a  learned  and  more  universal  scholar  ;  for  Bishop  Spotswood 
tells  us  that  he  was  expert  in  all  the  Sciences,  a  good  Poet,  Mathe- 
matician, Philosopher ,  Theologiie,  Lawyer,  and  skilful  in 
Medicine  ;  so  that  in  every  Subject  he  could  promptly  discourse 
and  to  good  purpose.  And  the  same  Reverend  Prelate  tells  us, 
that  besides  these  Qualifications,  by  his  diligent  Teaching  and 
dexterous  Government,  he  not  only  revived  the  Study  of  Good 
Letters,  but  gained  many  from  the  Superstitions  to  which  they 
were  given.  He  was  greatly  loved  of  all  Men,  hated  of  none, 
and  in  such  Account  for  his  Moderation  with  the  chief  Men  of 
these  Parts  [meaning  the  North)  that  without  his  Advice  they 
could  almost  do  nothing,  which  put  him  to  great  Fashery,  whereof 
he  did  often  complain ;  yet  he  was  very  pleasant  and  jocund 
in  Conversation."  ' 

Three  Scottish  poems  composed  by  Principal  Arbuthnot 
were  printed  in  1786  in  Pinkerton's  Ancient  Scottish  Poems. 
They  are  taken  from  a  MS.  collection  formerly  belonging 
to  Sir  Richard  Maitland  of  Lethington,  himself  a  poet  of  some 
merit.  This  unique  collection  lay  long  hidden  in  the  Pepysian 
Library  at  Magdalen  College,  Cambridge,  having  been  presented 
to  Samuel  Pepys  by  the  Duke  of  Lauderdale,  the  lineal  de- 
scendant of  Sir  Richard.  It  fell  to  John  Pinkerton  to  redis- 
cover and  publish  the  collection,  and  he  greatly  added  to  its 
interest  by  including  notes  on  each  poet  as  well  as  on  the 

'  Scottish  Writers,  vol.  iii.  p.   192. 

»  A  Latin  epitaph  in  praise  of  Principal  Arbuthnot  was  composed  by  his 
friend,  Andrew  Melville,  and  will  be  found  in  the  Delitice  Poetarum  Scotorum,  vol.  i. 
p.   120. 


46  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

various  poems.  Of  Principal  Arbuthnot,  however,  he  has 
nothing  to  tell  us.  "  All  I  know  of  this  poet,"  he  says, 
"  is  that  he  was  a  clergyman ;  and  that  some  of  his 
productions  are  in  this  collection."  Yet  Principal  Arbuthnot 
was  in  his  day  one  of  the  first  scholars  of  Scotland, 
and  has  even  been  pronounced  one  of  the  first  of  his 
age. 

Of  the  three  poems  preserved  by  Sir  Richard  Maitland,  the 
two  first  are  written  in  a  light  vein,  and  his  scholarlj^  attain- 
ments cannot  be  estimated  from  them. 

The  first  is  headed, 

The  Praises  of  Wemen, 
BY  Maister  Alexander  Arbuthnot. 

It  is  a  very  long  poem.  Pinkerton  remarks  that  "  Mr. 
Arbuthnot  is  no  mean  poet ;  but  his  love  of  this  subject  has 
made  him  rather  prolix."  He  seems,  indeed,  to  have  been 
filled  to  overflowing  with  enthusiasm  for  his  theme.  If  one 
may  venture  to  judge,  his  ideal  for  the  weaker  vessel  seems 
to  be  expressed  in  the  following  lines  : — 

To  man  obedient 

Evin  lyk  ana  willie  wand. 
Bayth  faythfull  and  fervent. 

Ay  reddie  at  command,  etc. 

This  submissive  attitude  being  taken  for  granted,  the 
Principal  has  nothing  but  eulogies  for  the  fair  sex,  his  cordial 
advice  to  men  being  to  enter  the  married  state  forthwith, 

Ane  lyife  full  of  delyite 

Gif  ye  your  dayis  wald  drie  ; 
In  pastyme  maist  perfyite 

Gif  that  ye  list  to  be  ; 
In  gud  estait,  baith  air  and  lait, 

Gif  ye  wald  leif  or  die  ; 
With  wemen  deill.     Its  trew  I  tell ; 

Yeis  luik  I  sail  not  lie. 

It  does  not  appear  that  Principal  Arbuthnot  took  his  own 
advice,  for  he  never  married,  and  doubtless  a  very  affectionate, 
if  exacting,  husband  was  lost  to  one  of  the  fair  ladies  of  the 
period. 


THE   ARBUTHNOTTS    OF   KINCARDINESHIRE     47 

His  short  poem  on  love  can  be  given  at  length  : 

ON   LUVE. 

He  that  luifis  lichtliest, 

Sail  not  happin  on  the  best. 
He  that  luifis  langest, 

Sail  have  rest  surest. 
He  that  luvis  all  his  best 

Sail  chance  upon  the  gudliest. 
Quha  sa  in  luif  is  trew  and  plaine. 

He  sail  be  lufit  weill  agane. 

The  third  poem,  entitled  "  The  Miseries  of  a  Pure  Scholar," 
was  written  in  1572,  and  is  a  more  serious  composition,  inspired 
by  the  troubles  and  changes  of  the  period  in  which  the  writer 
found  himself,  and  expresses  his  sad  feeling  that  the  "  wratchid 
world  "  is  all  awry.  He  contemplates  the  divisions,  tyrannies 
and  hypocrisies  of  his  age  with  a  sensation  of  despair. 

The  following  hues  are  expressive  and  characteristic  : 

Under  my  God,   I  wald  obey  my  prince  ; 

Bot  civile  weir  dois  sa  trouble  the  cais. 
That  scarcelie  wait  I  quham  to  reverence  ; 

Quhat  till  eschew,  or  quhat  for  till  embrace. 
Our  nobils  now  sa  fickil  ar,  alace  ! 

This  day  thai  say,  the  morne  thai  will  repent. 

Quhat  marvel  is  thoch  I  murne  and  lament  ? 

Faine  wald  I  leif  in  concord,  and  in  pcice  ; 

Without  divisioun,  rancour,  or  debait. 
Bot  now,  alace  !  in  every  land  and  place. 

The  fyr  of  hatrent  kindlit  is  so  halt. 
That  cheretie  doth  ring  in  nane  estait  ; 

Thoch  all  concur  to  hurt  the  innocent. 

Quhat  marvel  is  thoch  I  murne  and  lament  ? 

I  luif  justice  ;  and  wald  that  everie  man 

Had  that  quhilk  richtlie  dois  to  him  perteine  ; 

Yet  all  my  kyn,  allya,  or  my  clan, 

In  richt  or  wrang  I  man  alwayis  mantene, 

I  maun  applaud,  quhen  thai  thair  matters  mene, 
Thoch  conscience  thairto  do  not  consent, 
Quhat  marvel  is  thoch  I  murne  and  lament  ? 

The  revolt  suggested  in  the  last-quoted  lines  against  the 
tyranny  of  clan-allegiance  is  interesting,  and  probably  unusual, 
as  coming  from  a  cadet  of  one  of  the  old  territorial  families, 
to  whom  "  clannishness  "  was  almost  a  religion.  Principal 
Arbuthnot  here  shows  himself  far  in  advance  of  the  opinions 


48  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

current  in  his  day.  Pinkerton  says  :  "  This  is  a  most  inter- 
esting poem  ;  and  does  great  honor  to  the  heart  and  head  of  its 
author." 

We  must  now  take  up  the  hue  of  Principal  Arbuthnot's 
eldest  brother, 

Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Little  Fiddes,  who  succeeded  his 
father,  and  married  (in  1555)  Isabel,  daughter  of  Alexander 
Burnett  of  Leys.  He  was  Sheriff-Depute  of  Kincardineshire 
under  the  Earl  Marischal  in  1587.  He  had  a  tack  of  the  teinds 
of  Little  Fiddes  in  1589,  and  died  before  30th  July,  1606. 
He  had  issue — 

L  Andrew,  his  heir. 

n.  John,  second  son,  named  in  the  contract  of  1575, 
as  already  mentioned,  when  the  lands  of  Kincorth 
were  wadset  to  Principal  Arbuthnot,  with  remainder 
to  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Little  Fiddes,  and  after 
him  to  "  John  Arbuthnot,  second  son  of  the 
said  Robert." 

ni.  Alexander.  Travelled  as  tutor  to  Sir  Alexander 
Home  of  Manderston  for  three  years  preceding 
1617.     Was  living  in  1627,  apparently  in  Aberdeen. 

IV.  Peter,  pedagogue  to  Lord  Thirlestone  in  1607. 
I.  Catherine,  married  to  her  cousin,  Alexander  Burnett 
of  Leys. 

The  eldest  son,  Andrew  Arbuthnot  of  Little  Fiddes,  was 
served  heir  to  his  father  loth  May,  1617,  and  died  7th  April, 
1626.  He  married  first  Sara  Strachan,  and  secondly  Janet 
Gordon  (living,  his  widow,  in  1640),  and  left  issue — 

I.  Robert,  his  heir. 

I.  Sara,    living    1627.     Married   to    Robert   Stuart   of 
Inchbreck. 

Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Little  Fiddes,  son  of  the  above 
Andrew,  was  infeft  in  Fiddes  20th  June,  1627,  but  sold  the 
estate  to  his  cousin,  Andrew,  second  son  of  Sir  Robert  Arbuth- 
not of  that  Ilk  and  Margaret  Eraser  (p.  64).  He  married  first 
Margaret  Barclay,  who  died  in  1624  ;  secondly  Jean  Burnett, 
daughter  of  James  Burnett  of  Craigmyle  ;  and  thirdly  (in 
1642)  Mary,  daughter  of  David  Arbuthnot  of  Pitcarles. 


THE   ARBUTHNOTTS    OF   KINCARDINESHIRE     49 

By  his  first  wife  he  had — 

I.  Margaret,  married  first  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Cater- 
hne,  eldest  son  of  David  Arbuthnot  of  Auchter- 
forfar — contract  being  dated  19th  April,  1642, 
— and  had  issue.  She  married  secondly  (before 
i6th  January,  1657)  as  his  second  wife,  Sir  George 
Ogilvy  of  Barras,  noted  for  his  gallant  defence 
of  Dunnottar  Castle  in  1652,  and  his  consequent 
share  in  the  preservation  of  the  Regalia  of  Scotland. 
The  Lady  Ogilvy  who  took  so  prominent  a  part 
in  that  adventure  was,  however,  his  first  wife, 
a  Douglas  by  birth.  In  1678  Sir  George  Ogilvy 
and  Margaret  Arbuthnot  were  possessors  of  the 
estate  of  Kinghornie,  which  in  that  year  they 
disponed  to  William  Rait  of  Halgreen.  This 
estate  afterwards  came  into  the  possession  of  the 
Rev.  Alexander  Arbuthnot,  who  bought  it  from 
William  Rait  in  1690. 

Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Little  Fiddes  had  issue  by  his  second 
wife,  Jean  Burnett — 

I.  James,    merchant    burgess    of     Montrose    in    1678, 
retoured  eldest  son  and  heir  of  Robert  Arbuthnot 
of  Little  Fiddes  in  that  year. 
II.  Andrew,  born  1632,  died  young. 
II.  Anne,    married    (1646)    James   Allardyce,    and   had 

issue. 
III.  Marjorie,  born  1639,  married  (1659)  Alexander  Keith 
of  Cowtown,  afterwards  of  Uras,  and  had  issue. 

By  his  third  wife,  Mary  Arbuthnot,  Robert     Arbuthnot 
had  issue — 

III.  Andrew  (second  of  the  name),  born  1642. 

IV.  Robert,  born  1644. 

V.  Alexander,  born   1649. 
VI.  Patrick,  born  1651,  died  in  1704. 
IV.  Jean,  died  in   1681,  unmarried. 

James   Arbuthnot    of   Arbuthnot,    eldest   son    of    Robert 
Arbuthnot    and    Marion    Scrymgeour,    was    served    heir    to 
4 


50  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

his  father,  nth  January,  1506.'  He  had  a  charter  of  the 
lands  of  Arbuthnot  from  the  King  in  1506-7,  with  those  of 
Portertown,  Orchardtown,  Halgreen  and  others.  In  1512 
his  title  to  the  lands  was  again  confirmed  in  a  new  charter. 
In  1520  he  had  a  licence  to  proceed  on  a  pilgrimage  to  the 
Church  of  St.  Jean  of  Amiens  in  France.  In  his  Continuation 
of  Principal  Arbuthnot' s  History,  the  Rev.  Alexander  Arbuth- 
not writes  of  this  James  :  "He  was  removed  by  immature 
death  in  ye  flower  of  his  age  in  ye  year  1521,  and  to  him  suc- 
ceeded Robert  his  son  ye  third  of  y'  name,  so  called  after  his 
grandfather." 

James  Arbuthnot  married  (contract  dated  31st  August, 
1507)  Lady  Jean  Stewart,  fourth  daughter  of  John,  second 
Earl  of  Atholl  of  the  Stewart  line.  This  marriage  has  already 
been  referred  to,  in  connection  with  the  heraldic  shields  on 
an  old  tomb  at  Arbuthnott  Church,  which  there  is  good  reason 
to  suppose  is  the  tomb  of  James  Arbuthnot.' 

By   Lady   Jean   Stewart,   James   Arbuthnot   had  issue — 

I.  Robert,  his  heir. 

II.  Patrick,  who  is  named  in  his  father's  will  of  7th 
March,  1521.  (He  was  probably  dead  by  1542, 
for  he  is  not  mentioned  in  the  entail  of  the  Arbuth- 
not estates  that  year). 
III.  David,  who  succeeded  his  uncle.  Dr.  Patrick  Arbuth- 
not, as  Rector  of  Menmuir  and  Canon  of  Dunkeld. 
He  was  killed  at  the  Battle  of  Pinkie  in  1547. 

I.  Isabel,  married  first  (before  1531)  David  Ochterlony 
of  Kellie,  and  secondly  (in  1545)  Robert  Maule  of 
Panmure. 

The  eldest  son,  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Arbuthnot,  was 
served  heir  to  his  father  in  the  family  estates  in  1522.'  In 
1527  there  is  "  Disposition  for  serving  Robert  Arbuthnot  of 
that  Ilk  air  to  his  father,  James,  nochwithstanding  of  his 
minorite,"''  and  it  appears  that  he  got  sasine  of  the  whole 
of  the  family  estates  (Orchardtown,  Portertown,  Portarcroft, 
Halgreen  and  Elpitie  are  named  among  them)  in  1528-9.5 

'  Exchequer  Rolls  of  Scotland,  vol.  xii.  p.  719.  '  See  p.  27  note. 

3  Ibid.,  vol.  XV.  p.  599. 

4  Arbuthnot  Papers,  in  Spalding  Club  Miscellany,  vol.  ii.  pp.   107-8. 

5  Exchequer  Rolls  of  Scotland,  vol.  xv.  p.  675. 


THE   ARBUTHNOTTS    OF   KINCARDINESHIRE     51 

This  Robert  Arbuthnot  added  very  considerably  to  the 
estates  of  the  family.  In  1538-9  a  charter  was  confirmed  by 
the  Crown  of  William,  Earl  Marischal,  who  sold  to  his  "  kins- 
man," Robert  Arbuthnot,  "  de  eodem  "  certain  lands  in  the 
Barony  of  Dun  in  Forfarshire.  In  1542  the  King  granted  to 
Robert  a  charter  of  confirmation  of  the  lands  of  Arbuthnot, 
in  which  they  are  entailed  on  the  heirs-male  of  his  body,  failing 
whom  on  his  brother  David  and  his  heirs,  failing  whom,  on 
his  uncle,  Mr.  Robert  Arbuthnot,  and  his  heirs,  failing  whom, 
on  his  cousin,  John  Arbuthnot  in  Portertown,  failing  whom, 
on  John's  brother,  James,  whom  we  know  to  have  been  of 
(or,  more  probably,  "  in  ")  Little  Fiddes.  As  we  shall  hope 
to  show  that  John  Arbuthnot  of  Portertown  (son  of  David 
Arbuthnot  and  Christian  Rhind  (p.  86)  ),  was  ancestor  to  the 
Aberdeenshire  Arbuthnots,  this  entail  is  of  great  genealogical 
importance,  confirming  the  near  relationship  between  the 
two  branches  of  the  family. 

In  1544-5  Robert  Arbuthnot  obtained  a  charter  in  feu  farm 
of  the  ecclesiastical  lands  in  the  Kirktown  of  Arbuthnot,  with 
some  salmon  fishing  in  the  Bervie,  from  Cardinal  Beaton, 
Archbishop  of  St.  Andrews,  thus  coming  into  peaceful  possession 
of  the  lands  which  had  formerly  been  a  cause  of  feud  between 
his  ancestors  and  the  clerical  superiors  of  the  soil.  This 
charter  was  confirmed  by  the  Queen  at  Edinburgh,  loth 
February,  1544-5- 

In  1545  the  Crown  confirmed  a  charter  to  him  and  his  second 
wife.  Christian  Keith,  of  the  lands  of  "  Petquhorthy  "  and 
"  Caldcottis." 

In  1553  he  resigned  his  estates  to  his  eldest  son,  Andrew, 
and  his  wife,  Elizabeth  Carnegy,  reserving  to  himself  only  a 
liferent  interest  in  them. 

In  1568  Robert  Arbuthnot  was  summoned  by  the  Regent 
Murray  to  "  prepare  and  address  yourself,  accumpanyit  with 
your  honest  freindis  and  servandis,  in  your  maist  substantious 
maner,  to  be  in  Edinburght,  the  XIII  day  of  August  nixtocum." 
This  was  for  the  convening  of  Parhament  in  the  infant  King's 
name,  Mary  Stuart  having  been  deposed  and  removed  to 
Lochleven.  The  letter  is  addressed  "  To  our  truist  freind 
the  Lard  of  Arbuthnot,"  and  is  signed  "  James,  Regent." ' 

■  Spalding  Club  Miscellany,  vol.  ii.  p.  log.     Arbuthnot  Papers. 


52  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

On  2ist  May,  1569,  Robert  Arbuthnot  and  his  third  wife, 
Helen  Clephane,  and  their  son  James,  acting  through  their 
attorney,  James  Arbuthnot,  burgess  of  Aberdeen  (see  p.  95), 
got  sasine  of  "  the  sunny  half  of  the  half  town  and  lands  of 
Boighill  and  mill  thereof,  in  the  shire  of  the  Bishopric  of 
Aberdeen." 

A  charter  of  the  sale  of  the  lands  of  Harthill  in  the  Barony 
of  Pitmeddan  to  Robert  Arbuthnot,  by  Patrick  Leith  of 
Harthill,  was  signed  at  Aberdeen  5th  January,  1569-70. 
The  following  day  Patrick  Leith  took  up  a  nine  years'  lease 
of  this  very  property  from  Robert  Arbuthnot.  The  tack  was 
registered  at  Aberdeen,  6th  January,  1569-70. 

On  7th  September,  1570,  a  contract  was  signed  at 
Aberdeen  between  James  Arbuthnot,  burgess  of  that  city, 
acting  for  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  as  before,  on 
the  one  part,  and  John  Mar,  portioner  of  Auchterforfar  on 
the  other,  whereby  Mar  obliges  himself  to  infeft  Robert 
Arbuthnot  and  the  heirs-male  of  himself  and  Helen  Clephane, 
and,  failing  them,  his  son  Robert — fourth  son  by  the  second 
wife.  Christian  Keith — in  the  sunny  half  of  the  lands  of 
Auchterforfar.' 

Robert  Arbuthnot  was  thrice  married,  first  to  Katherine 
Erskine,  daughter  of  John  Erskine  of  Dun,  the  marriage 
contract  being  dated  2nd  March,  1526.  She  died  at  Arbuth- 
nott  15th  June,  1529,  without  issue.  Her  husband  married 
secondly  Christian  Keith,  eldest  daughter  of  Robert,  Lord 
Keith,  eldest  son  of  William,  third  Earl  Marischal.  She  died  in 
1553,  and  the  inventory  of  her  goods  was  made  "  at  the  place 
of  Arbuthnot  "  on  12th  July,  1553,  in  the  presence  of  her  eldest 
daughter  Jean,  of  James,  eldest  son  of  John  Arbuthnot  in 
Portertoun,'  of  Christian  Eraser,  mother  of  the  said  James, 
and  others.  There  was  due  to  her  by  Sir  Robert  Carnegy  of 
Kinnaird  the  balance  of  600  merks  for  the  marriage  of 
Andrew  Arbuthnot,  son  and  apparent  heir  of  the  said  Robert, 
and  she  was  due  for  the  expenses  of  her  two  sons  at  the 
schools  40  merks.  Her  body  is  to  be  buried  in  the  Arbuthnot 
Aisle  in  the  parish  Church  of  Arbuthnot,  and  she  appoints 

'  Aberdeen  Burgh  Court  Deeds, 

»  This  James  Arbuthnot  we  shall  show  to  have  been  almost  certainly  after- 
wards "  of  Lentusche,"  and  ancestor  of  the  Lairds  of  Cairngall. 


THE   ARBUTHNOTTS    OF   KINCARDINESHIRE     58 

her  husband  her  sole  executor.     The  will  was  confirmed  4th 
April,  I557.- 

Robert  Arbuthnot  had  issue  by  Christian  Keith — 

I.  Andrew,  his  heir. 
II.  John  of  Mondynes,  who  is  named  in  the  Arbuthnott 
entail  of  5th  March,  1587-8,  married  first  Katherine, 
daughter    of    Alexander    Pitcairn    of    Mondynes, 
and   secondly    Ehzabeth,    daughter    of    Grahame 
of  Morphie.     By  his  first  wife  he  had  issue— 
(i)  Andrew,  whom  the  Rev.  Alexander  Arbuth- 
not describes  as  having  been  very  cruelly 
treated    by    his    stepmother.      He     died 
before   1600.     By  his  second  wife,  Eliza- 
beth    Grahame,     John     Arbuthnot    had 
issue — 

(2)  Robert,  who  was  friar  of  Mondynes  in  1607, 

and  married  Margaret  Symmer.  He  was 
served  heir  to  his  father  in  Mondynes 
in   1616. 

(3)  William,  served  heir  in  1617,  sold  Mondynes 

to  Sir  Robert  Arbuthnot  for  ;f  10,000.  He 
had  one  daughter,  Mary,  living  in  1619. 

III.  Alexander,    "  in    Pitcarles,"    and   of   Auchterforfar, 

of  whom  presently. 

IV.  Mr.    Robert,    in    holy   orders,    of   whom    the    Rev. 

Alexander  says :  "  He  travelled  into  France, 
where  for  divers  years  he  followed  his  studies  with 
great  proficiency  therein,  and  after  his  return 
to  Scotland  was  presented  by  his  father  to  the 
parsonage  of  Arbuthnott,  and  served  the  cure 
there  the  residue  of  his  hfe,  which  was  celibat 
and  chast,  and  resided  constantlie  with  his  brother 
in  Pitcarles  (there  being  no  manse  builded  then 
at  the  church  for  the  incumbent),  to  whom  he 
legated  all  his  goods  when  he  died." 
I.  Jean,  married  James  Clephane  of  Hilcairney,  younger 
son  of  George  Clephane  of  Carslogie,  contract 
being  dated  7th  February,  1557. 

'  Arbuthnot  Papers. 


54  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

II.  Agnes,  married  Alexander  Straiton,  eldest  son  of 
George  Straiton  of  that  Ilk,  probably  about  1553. 

III.  Christian,    married,    probably    about    1556,    George 

Symmer,  eldest  son  of  George  Symmer  of  Bal- 
zordie.  She  died  before  30th  April,  1583,  leaving 
issue. 

IV.  Isobel,   married  Alexander  Strachan   of    Brigtown, 

and  died  before  4th  March,  1587. 

In  the  Scots  Peerage  it  is  stated  that  there  were  two  other 
daughters  of  this  marriage,  one  of  whom  died  young,  while  the 
other  married  another  member  of  the  family  of  Clephane. 

Robert  Arbuthnot  married  thirdly,  in  September,  1553, 
Helen,  daughter  of  George  Clephane  of  Carslogie,  and  by  her 
(who  married  secondly  Alexander  Campbell,  Bishop  of  Brechin) 
had  issue— 

V.  David  of  Findowrie,  in  Angus,  who  married  first 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Rait  of  Halgreen,  and 
secondly  a  daughter  of  Stuart  of  Inchbreck. 
By  his  first  wife  he  had  issue  Robert  of  Findowrie, 
who  died  before  17th  May,  1681,  having  married, 
in  1616,  Margaret,  daughter  of  Sir  William  Grahame 
of  Claverhouse,  and  relict  of  George  Symmer  of 
Balzeordie.  By  her  he  had  issue,  with  others — 
Robert  of  Findowrie,  who  died  in  1693  (though 
his  will  was  not  proved  till  1745),  and  married 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  William  Rait  of  Halgreen, 
mentioned  as  his  betrothed  wife  in  1641.  By 
her  he  had — besides  several  daughters,  one  of 
whom,  Marjorie,  married  Francis  Farquharson 
of  Finzean — Alexander  of  Findowrie,  born  in 
1658,  who  married  Margaret,  daughter  of  Sir 
Alexander  Lindsay  of  Evelick,  Bart.,  and  died 
in  1688,  having  by  her  had  issue,  with  others, 
a  son,  Alexander  of  Findowrie,  born  in  1685, 
who  married  Margaret  Ochterlony,  and  died  in 
1745,  leaving  only  daughters,  the  eldest  of  whom, 
Margaret,  inherited  Findowrie,  and  married  in 
1734  James  Carnegy  of  Balnamoon,  a  prominent 
Jacobite,   who   took   an   active   part  in  the   '45, 


THE   ARBUTHNOTTS    OF   KINCARDINESHIRE     55 

being  known  as  the  "  rebel  Laird,"  and  Jean, 
who  married,  as  his  second  wife,  John  Arbuthnott 
of  Fordoun,  afterwards  sixth  Viscount  Arbuthnott 
(p.  76).  From  the  marriage  of  the  elder  sister, 
Margaret,  the  present  Mr.  James  Carnegy-Arbuth- 
nott  of  Balnamoon  and  Findowrie  descends.  The 
family  bear  the  Arbuthnott  arms,  differenced 
with  a  bordure  argent,  quartered  with  those 
of  Carnegie.  It  is  a  curious  fact  that  since  the 
marriage  of  Margaret  Arbuthnott,  heiress  of 
Findowrie,  to  James  Carnegie  in  1734,  the  estates 
of  Findowrie  and  Balnamoon  have  never  passed 
directly  from  father  to  son.  The  line  has  several 
times  been  carried  on  through  heiresses,  passing 
sometimes  from  mother  to  son,  but  the  family 
have  always  retained  the  name  Arbuthnott,  and 
the  old  Arbuthnott  property  of  Findowrie,  now 
little  more  than  a  farm. 
VI.  James  "  in  Garriotsmyre,"  a  holding  on  the  Arbuth- 
not  estates.  As  has  been  mentioned,  his  name 
occurs  in  a  sasine  to  his  parents  of  the  lands 
of  Boighill  in  1569-70.  In  1602  he  was  tutor 
to  the  children  of  his  deceased  brother,  David, 
Laird  of  Findowrie.  He  died  September,  1608. 
VII.  George,  mentioned  in  a  sasine  to  his  parents  of  the 
lands  of  Halwestoun  previous  to  1580.  He  was 
living  in  1598. 

VIII.  Wilham  of  Blackstoun  in  Angus.     He  was  succeeded 
in  that  estate  by  his  son  Alexander,  who  was  in 
turn  succeeded  by  his  son,  James,  who  married 
Margaret  Rattray,  and  sold  Blackstoun  to  John 
Ogilvy,  younger,  of  Balfour,  in  1672. 
V.  Ehzabeth,  married  to  James  Mortimer  of  Craigievar. 
VI.  Katherine,  married,  about   1577,   James  Ogilvy  of 
Balfour,  and  had  issue. 
VII.  A  daughter,  married   to   Lindsay   of   Barnyards. 

VIII.  Margaret,  married  to  David  Ogilvy  of  Persie. 

Robert  Arbuthnot's  will  is  dated  at  "  Fendowrie "  17th 
June,   1578.     He  leaves  his  body  to  be  buried  where  God 


56  MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

pleases,  and  bequeathes  80  merks  to  his  bastard  son, 
"  Hucheon,"  '  a  chain  of  gold  to  David  Arbuthnot,  his  eldest 
son  by  Helen  Clephane,  and  his  part  of  the  "  plenishing  " 
in  the  Mains  of  Arbuthnot,  Elpettie,  the  half  of  Cauldcoittis 
and  Fendowrie  to  his  children  "  unhelpit  gotten  and  to  be 
gotten  between  him  and  the  said  Helen  "  in  equal  divisions. 
This  was  coniirmed  21st  November,  1580. 

Robert  Arbuthnot  died  15th  October,  1579,  ^^d  was 
"  honourablie  interred  in  the  Isle  of  Arbuthnott  builded  by 
his  grandfather  of  worthie  memory." 

After  enumerating  his  large  family,  the  Rev.  Alexander 
Arbuthnot  says  :  "  Thus  you  may  see  with  how  numerous 
and  hopeful  a  progenie  God  blessed  this  good  Laird  Robert, 
he  had  by  his  two  worthie  Ladies,  viz  :  Ladie  Christian 
Keith  and  Dam  Helen  Clepan  eighteen  sons  and  daughters 
which  arrived  to  the  perfect  age  of  men  and  women  and  he 
saw  them  all  (except  Mr.  Robert  and  one  daughter)  honestly 
and  honourably  married  in  his  own  time  and  bestowed  on  them 
large  patrimonys  without  the  least  diminution  of  his  old 
estate,  which  he  rather  bettered.  This  shews  what  a  worthie 
and  virtuous  man  he  was  and  that  in  him  was  verifyed  what 
the  Lord  promises  to  them  that  fear  him  and  walk  in  his 
ways  Psal.  128." 

Alexander  Arbuthnot  "  in  Pitcarles  "  and  of  Auchterforfar, 
third  son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  and  Christian  Keith,  (p.  53), 
married  Margaret  Middleton,  whose  testament  is  recorded  in 
1607.     He  died  loth  April,   1614,  leaving  issue — 

L  David,  his  heir. 
II.  John,  living  1620. 

III.  Andrew,    who    was   infeft   in    Crimond   Gorthie   in 

1623. 

IV.  Mr.  George,  living  1620. 
V.  Robert,  living  1620. 

The  eldest  son,  David  Arbuthnot,  married  Jean,  daughter 
of  John  Keith  of  Cowtown,  the  marriage  contract  being 
dated  December,  1610.     On  12th  June,  1629,  he  was  served 

I  This  Hucheon  or  Hugh  obtained  letters  of  legitimization  in  1580,  dated 
from  Holy  rood,  26th  November  that  year. — Registmm  Magni  Sigilli  Regum 
Scotorum,  vol.  iv.  No.  45. 


THE   ARBUTHNOTTS    OF   KINCARDINESHIRE     57 

heir  to  his  father  in  Auchterforfar,  but  sold  this  estate  and 
bought  that  of  Caterhne.  He  died  before  19th  March,  1644, 
He  left  issue — 

I.  Robert,  who  seems  to  have  owned  Caterhne  in  his 
father's  hfetime,  and  married  Margaret,  daughter 
of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Fiddes,  and  by  her 
(who  married  secondly  Sir  George  Ogilvy  of 
Barras,  as  we  have  seen)  had  issue — ■ 

(i)  Robert,  served  heir  to  his  father  in  1666, 
sold  Caterhne  in  1669  to  his  cousin,  Simon 
Arbuthnot  (p.  67)  ; 

(2)  Alexander  (Dr.),  living  1690  ; 

(3)  David  ;  ' 

(i)  Jean,  married  George  Rait  in  Kinghorne. 
II.  Alexander  of  Pitcarles,  married  Margaret  Hahburton, 
and  died  in  1693,  leaving  issue — 

(i)  Alexander,  born  1662,  died  young ; 
(i)  Katharine,     born     1654,     married     James 
Thomson  of  Arduthie  ; 

(2)  Jean,  born  1655  ; 

(3)  Margaret,  born  1657,  married  David  Guthrie 

of  Kair  and  Castletown,  and  died  in  1711. 
III.  John,  born  in  1633. 
I.  Mary,  married  in  1642  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Little 

Fiddes. 
II.  Susanna. 
III.  Helen,  born  1634,  was  twice  married,  first  to  Captain 
James  Haliburton,  and  secondly  to  George  Kin- 
naird  of  Couston. 

The  eldest  son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  and  Christian  Keith, 
Andrew  Arbuthnot  of  Arbuthnot,  appears  as  "  feuar  of 
Arbuthnot  "  in  1553,  1558,  and  1577-8.  The  Rev.  Alexander 
Arbuthnot  has  much  to  say  in  praise  of  him.  "  This  Andrew 
was  the  excellent  son  of  an  excellent  father  for  by  his  honest 

'  Was  this  the  David  Arbuthnot,  afterwards  of  Weymouth,  who  matriculated 
his  arms  between  1680  and  1687,  as  being  descended  of  the  third  son  of  the  Ar- 
buthnot family,  his  great-grandfather  ?  And  if  so,  was  his  brother  "  Mr.  Robert 
Arbuthnot,"  afterwards  minister  of  Crichton  and  Cranstoun,  and  grandfather 
of  Admiral  Marriott  Arbuthnot  ?  There  was  a  tradition  in  the  Admiral's  family  as 
to  the  estate  of  Caterline.     See  Appendix  V,  where  his  descent  is  discussed. 


58  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

Industrie  and  prudent  management  of  his  affairs  he  augmented 
his  fortune  very  much,  he  bought  the  lands  of  Arrat,  Pitforthie, 
&c.  in  Angus  amounting  to  the  value  of  near  3,000  merks 
of  yearly  revenue,  as  also  the  lands  designed  Silleflett  &c. 
commonly  called  three  nynt  parts  of  Inverbervy  and  left 
behind  him  very  considerable  sums  of  mony  which  were 
frugally  bestowed  and  employed  by  his  successors  for  the  good 
of  their  family,  he  also  helped  what  was  either  deficient 
or  amiss  in  the  old  securitys  and  writes  of  the  family,  and  put 
them  in  much  better  order  than  formerly  they  were  and  in  all 
his  new  purchases  and  conquests  (which  were  considerable)  he 
never  did  the  least  act  of  injustice  and  oppression  to  any,  and 
to  shew  how  much  he  abhorred  anything  that  had  a  tendency 
that  way  I  judge  it  will  not  be  impertinent  to  relate  a  storie 
of  this  good  and  upright  man  which  I  had  from  persons  of 
unquestionable  fame. 

"  This  Andrew  being  superiour  of  the  lands  of  Arduthie 
(Stonehaven)  and  he  who  had  the  right  of  property  at  that 
time  having  as  foolishly  as  unjustly  disclaimed  him  as  his 
superior  and  taken  the  land  holden  of  some  other  person,  by 
which  act  he  forfeited  the  right  of  property  and  it  did  accress  to 
Andrew  as  superiour  of  the  feudall  law  and  constant  practice 
of  the  nation  in  such  cases  and  this  Laird  Andrew  being  admon- 
ished thereof,  and  advised  by  some  of  his  friends  to  make 
use  of  his  privilege  the  law  granted  him  he  asked  them  if  ever 
he  had  paid  money  for  that  land,  they  answered  no  ;  then 
said  he,  I  never  will  possess  that  for  which  I  paid  not  the 
just  value,  and  after  he  had  sent  for  the  man,  and  convinced 
him  of  his  errour,  he  dismissed  him  with  a  new  holding  of  his 
land,  and  when  this  excellent  Laird  had  arrived  at  a  full  old 
age  he  was  gathered  to  his  fathers  in  peace  and  intombed  in 
their  antient  sepulchre  March  6th,  the  year  of  our  Lord  1606." 

Among  the  Arbuthnot  papers  printed  in  the  second  volume 
of  the  Spalding  Club  Miscellany  is  the  following  letter,  from 
George,  Master  of  Marischal,  to  Andrew  Arbuthnot.  It  is 
dated  1580,  and  runs  as  follows  : 

"  Rycht  honorabill  and  well  belouit  Cousing,  I  haue 
onderstand  be  this  bearer  that,  at  my  requeist,  ye  ar  willing 
your  eldest  sone  suld  spend  a  pairt  of  his  tyme  in  my  company, 


THE   ARBUTHNOTTS    OF   KINCARDINESHIRE     59 

quhairinto  I  think  myself  oblist  wnto  yow,  assurand  yow 
that  he  sail  be  no  oder  waj-is  usit  and  tratit  thane  my  selff, 
and  sail  laik  nathing  that  may  be  ffor  his  fordrance  that  lyis 
in  my  pouer.  Fairdermoir,  the  minister,  our  cousing,  schew 
me  that  ye  wald  haue  knawin  in  quhat  equipage,  concernyng 
his  horssis,  seruantis,  and  claiss,  it  war  meit  he  suld  be.  My 
opinion  is,  that  he  will  nocht  mistar  ony  seruants,  in  respect 
myne  sail  haue  that  command  to  weit  upon  him  ;  also,  as 
concernyng  his  horsis,  indeid  I  think  he  will  mister  tway, 
in  respect  of  the  kingis  grace  dayUe  ryding,  quhairat  baith 
I  and  he  man  continuallie  be  present ;  as  to  his  manner  of 
clething,  in  that  he  may  haue  his  awin  fre  will ;  yit,  seing  he 
will  be  estemed  as  off  my  company,  I  think  it  will  nocht  be 
on  meit  to  be  in  blak,  bot  in  all  thais  ye  sail  do  as  ye  think 
guid.  I  haue  schawin  my  opinion  onlie  becauss  I  was  re- 
quered  off  it.  I  suppone  that  I  sail  nocht  gang  to  the  court 
quhyll  efter  my  Lord  Harris  brydell,  quhilk  will  be  in  the  end 
of  this  moneth,  so  that  in  the  mene  tyme,  giff  ye  and  he  thinkis 
guid,  he  may  cum  over  heir  and  pass  the  tyme  in  huntyng,  or 
ony  oder  pastyme  as  sail  occurre.  So  nocht  wyllying  to 
truble  yow  with  farder  letter,  bot  with  my  harthe  commenda- 
tion to  your  bedfellow  and  sonnis  ;  quhome,  and  yow,  I 
commit  to  the  protection  of  the  Almychty,  our  guid  God. 
From  Dunnotter,  this  XXII  off  October,  1580,  be 
Your  assured  guid  Freind, 

Mastir    Marschall. 
To  the  rycht  honorabill  and  weil  belouit  cousing, 
the  Laird  of  Arbuthnot,  delyuer  this."  ■ 

Andrew  Arbuthnot  obtained  from  his  father  a  charter 
of  the  lands  of  Futhes  (Fiddes)  in  1553,  and  in  1593  acquired 
by  purchase  the  lands  of  Magdalene  Chapel  or  Chapelton  in 
Forfar.  This  last  estate  was  settled  on  his  youngest  son, 
Patrick,  and  his  heirs.  In  1587-8  a  charter  was  granted  to 
his  son  Robert,  re-entailing  the  Arbuthnot  estates,  the  heirs 
being  named  as  follows  :  After  the  heirs-male  of  Robert 
Arbuthnot,  the  heritage  passes  to  his  brother,  James  Arbuthnot 
of  Arrat  and  his  heirs  ;  then  to  his  brother  Patrick,  of  Magdalene 
Chapel,  and  his  heirs  ;  then  to  their  uncle,  John  Arbuthnot  of 

'  Spalding  Club  Miscellany,  vol.  ii.  pp.    iio-iii. 


60  MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTwS 

Mondynes  and  his  heirs ;  then  to  the  latter's  brother,  Alexander 
Arbuthnot  of  Auchterforfar  and  his  heirs ;  then  to  his  brother, 
Mr.  Robert  Arbuthnot,  minister  of  Arbuthnot,  and  his  heirs ; 
after  him  to  David  of  Findowrie,  a  fourth  brother,  his  brothers 
James,  George,  and  Wilham  and  their  heirs  in  succession, 
and  failing  these  to  the  nearest  heir-male  in  the  family. 
This  charter  was  dated  at  Holyrood,  5th  March,  1587-8. 

In  1589  Andrew  Arbuthnot  was  the  recipient  of  a  letter 
from  King  James  IV  dated  at  Edinburgh,  30th  August,  1589, 
in  which  he  is  requested  to  send  some  fat  beef  and  mutton, 
wild  fowl  and  venison  "  or  other  stuff  "  to  assist  in  the  enter- 
tainment of  those  who  were  bringing  the  Queen  to  Scotland.' 
The  following  year,  another  Royal  letter,  dated  from  Holyrood, 
nth  May,  1590,  bids  him  send  "  stuff  and  provision  "  in  view 
of  the  Queen's  coronation.* 

Andrew  Arbuthnot  married  first  Elizabeth  Carnegie 
(contract  dated  7th  August,  1553),  daughter  of  Robert  Carnegie 
of  Kinnaird,  with  whom  he  received  a  tocher  of  ;f900  Scots 
and  a  number  of  useful  commodities,  such  as  corn,  cattle,  and 
plenishings.  She  died  23rd  October,  1563,  intestate,  and  the 
inventory  of  her  goods  was  given  up  by  her  children,  George, 
James,  Patrick,  and  Helen  Arbuthnot  on  the  nth  July,  1565. 

By  Elizabeth  Carnegy  Andrew  Arbuthnot    had    issue — 

I.  Robert  (Sir),  his  heir. 
II.  George,  apparently  died  without  male  issue  before 

2ist  June,  1582. 
III.  James,  portioner  of  Arrat.  He  was  a  "  well  accom- 
plished gentleman  of  a  comhe  personage  and 
courteous  and  sagacious  in  all  his  administrations." 
He  is  mentioned  in  his  mother's  testament  in  1563 
and,  as  we  have  seen,  in  the  Arbuthnot  entail  of 
1587-8.  His  father  bought  for  him  the  lands 
of  Arrat  in  patrimony,  and  he  married  Margaret 
Livingstone,  daughter  of  John  Livingstone  of 
Dunipace — "  an  antient  Baron  and  then  of  an 
opulent  and  flourishing  estate,  but  since,  by  the 
providence  of  God,  that  family  is  decayed  and 
ruined."     He  died  in  1606. 

«  Arbuthnot  Papers,  in  the  Advocates'  Library.  =  Ibid. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTTS    OF   KINCARDINESHIRE     61 

By  Margaret  Livingstone  he  had — 

(i)  Robert  of  Arrat,  afterwards  of  Arbuthnot, 
who  succeeded  his  uncle  Robert  as  head 
of  the  family,  of  whom  presently. 
(2)  James,  who  was  of  Cairnibeg  in  1620,  and 
later    of    Dulladies.     He    was    Tutor    of 
Arbuthnot    after    his     brother    Robert's 
death  in   1633.     He  acquired  the  estate 
of   Arbeikie,  and   was   living   September, 
1653.     He  married  Elizabeth  Blair,  daugh- 
ter   of    Alexander    Blair    of    Balthayock, 
and  by  her  had :    (i)    Robert   (Captain), 
who   died  in   1674,   leaving  issue  by  his 
wife,  Anne  Douglas,  relict  of  Mr.  James 
Sibbald,  two   daughters,    Elizabeth,   wife 
of  Mr.  James  Douglas,  minister  of  Aboyne 
and   later  of   Arbuthnot,  and  Catherine, 
wife  of  Mr.  Francis   Melville,  minister  of 
Arbuthnot.        (2)     Thomas,     born     1635. 
(3)     James,     born     1639.      i^)    Marjorie, 
born   1637.     (2)   Ehzabeth,  wife  of    John 
Garden,  eldest    son   of  David   Garden  of 
Lawton. 
IV.  Patrick,    of    Magdalene    Chapel    or    Chapelton    and 
Nether   Pitforthies.     He   married   a   daughter   of 
Rait  of  Halgreen,  and  died  before  5th  May,  1603, 
without  issue. 
I,  Helen,  was  one  of  the  executors  of  her  mother  in 
1565.     She  married  Alexander  Eraser,  eldest  son 
of  Thomas  Eraser  of  Durris,  and  left  issue. 

Andrew  Arbuthnot  married  secondly  Margaret  Hoppringil, 
"  daughter  to  an  antient  Baron  in  Eife,"  by  whom  he  had  no 
issue.     He  died  at  Arbuthnott  i6th  March,  1606. 

The  eldest  son.  Sir  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Arbuthnot,  received 
from  his  father  the  lands  of  Whitefield  in  1575.  At  the  time 
of  his  marriage,  about  1582,  the  family  estates  were  settled 
upon  him,  his  father  reserving  to  himself  a  liferent  interest  in 
them.  In  March,  1587-8,  he  had,  as  we  have  seen,  a  Crown 
charter  of  the  Barony  of  Arbuthnot,  granted  to  him  and  his 


62  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

wife,  Mary  Keith,  and  their  heirs-male,  failing  whom  the  lands 
were  to  pass  to  the  heirs  already  named  (pp.  59-60). 

He  was  served  heir  to  his  father  30th  July,  1606,  and  was 
knighted  about  1609.  He  had  a  charter  of  Fordoun  in  1608, 
and  of  Cowlie  and  Brownside  in  1613-14. 

In  1616  these  various  separate  estates  were  erected  into 
one  Barony,  called  the  Barony  of  Arbuthnot,  and  he  obtained 
a  charter  of  them  in  that  year  in  favour  of  his  nephew,  Robert 
Arbuthnot  of  Arrat,  being  himself  childless. 

In  1621  he  sat  in  Parliament  as  member  for  Kincardineshire. 

In  1629  he  granted  to  his  nephew  a  tack  of  all  the  lands 
of  Arbuthnot,  reserving  a  liferent  for  himself. 

He  was  a  favourite  with  James  VI,  and  a  man  of  high 
character  and  piety.     The  Rev.  Alexander  Arbuthnot  says  : 

"  He  was  the  fourt  of  that  name  which  governed  the 
family  of  Arbuthnott  and  he  attained  the  honour  of  knighthood, 
his  father  bred  him  abroad  in  France  :  he  ran  {and)  finished 
his  Christian  race  with  patience,  looking  unto  Jesus  the  author 
and  finisher  of  his  faith  and  laid  hold  on  the  Crown  of  righte- 
ousness which  the  righteous  Judge  of  all  the  earth  has  prepared 
for  them  that  love  his  appearance,  to  the  full  possession  whereof 
he  was  removed  from  this  vale  of  tears  Septr. 

"  King  James  the  Sixth  then  reigning  over  the  Island  of 
Great  Britain,  when  he  came  to  grapple  with  the  King  of 
terrors  he  did  it  with  an  heroick  and  invincible  fortitude,  for 
being  exhorted  by  a  friend  not  to  be  dismayed  at  the  sight 
of  death,  he  replied  '  I  thank  God  '  (said  he)  '  I  never  feared 
death,  nor  regrated  it  in  my  Godly  friend,'  and  with  such 
encouraging  and  friendly  speeches  he  calmly  and  sweetly 
breathed  out  his  spirit  into  the  hands  of  his  merciful  Creatour 
and  dear  Redeemer,  having  fortold  the  presise  hour  of  his 
death. 

"  I  was  certainly  informed  by  some  of  his  friends  then 
present  that  a  while  before  his  expiring  there  came  a  little 
bird  to  the  chamber  window  where  he  lay  on  his  death  bed 
and  sung  there  with  such  a  melodious  and  unheard  of  voice 
as  ravished  the  ears  of  all  in  the  room  and  struck  them  into  a 
kind  of  admiration  and  consternation  of  spirit  and  continued 
in   this   delightful  harmonie    till   he  breathed  his   last    and 


THE    ARBUTHNOTTS    OF    KINCARDINESHIRE     63 

immediately  away  it  ilew  and  was  never  seen  or  heard 
afterwards :  what  this  meant  I  will  not  take  it  upon  me  to 
divine,  only  I  may  conjecture  that  it  was  a  prognostication 
and  preludium  of  his  future  joy  immediately  to  follow." 

He  died  September,  1631,  and  his  nephew,  who  succeeded 
him,  "  gave  his  corps  a  very  sumptuous  and  honourable  funeral, 
which  they  well  deserved  "  ;  and  one  of  his  friends.  Sir  George 
Keith,  composed  an  epitaph  on  his  death,  which  has  been 
preserved  by  the  Rev.  Alexander  Arbuthnot  and  runs  as  follows  : 

Long  since  I  vowed  if  I  survived 

Thy  dying,  to  bewail  thee. 
Now  thou  art  gone  and  I'm  so  grieved, 

I  fear  my  muses  fail  me. 

He  married  in  1582  Mary,  daughter  of  Wilham,  Lord 
Keith,  eldest  son  of  William,  fourth  Earl  Marischal,  but  left  no 
issue.  His  wife  died  nth  March,  1619,  her  will  being  dated 
at  Inverbervie,  25th  February  that  year.  She  desires  to  be 
buried  in  the  "  queier  "  of  the  kirk  of  Arbuthnot,  and  among 
various  legacies  she  leaves  to  "  the  Ladies  of  Arbuthnot  her 
successors  "  her  jewellery  and  apparel,  and,  "  for  the  favour 
she  has  to  the  noble  house  of  Merschell,  from  which  she  is 
descended,  and  the  love  she  bears  to  her  dearest  nevoy  and  his 
lady,  my  Lord  and  my  Lady  Keith,  she  bequeathes  to  his 
eldest  daughter.  Lady  Mary  Keith,  whom  failing,  her  sister, 
a  gown  of  black  satin  and  certain  other  articles  of  clothing  and 
chains  of  pearls,  with  4000  merks  to  be  paid  to  her  at  her 
marriage,"  etc.  The  will  was  given  up  by  "  Sir  Robert  Arbuth- 
not of  that  Ilk,  Knight,"  her  spouse,  and  Sir  Robert  Arbuthnot, 
liar  of  that  Ilk,  Knight,  her  executors. 

Sir  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Arbuthnot,  was  served  heir 
to  his  uncle,  ist  May,  1632,  or,  to  quote  the  Rev.  Alexander 
Arbuthnot,  "  To  him  dying  childless  succeeded  (as  we  hinted 
befor)  Robert  his  nephew,  by  his  brother  James  sometime 
Laird  of  Arrat,  who  also  was  honoured  with  the  title  of  Knight- 
hood, he  was  without  disparagement  every  way  both  in 
bodie  and  mind  one  of  the  best  accomplished  gentlemen,  not 
only  that  ever  governed  that  family  but  in  the  whole  Kingdom, 
of  a  stately,  comly  personage,  and  of  a  courteous  affable 
behaviour  (for  he  was  well  educated  abroad  in  France)  he 


64  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

was  most  hospital  [sic]  both  to  friends  and  strangers,  and 
manie  times  he  noblie  entertained  the  greatest  Peers  of  the 
nation  in  his  house  ;  his  own  private  affairs  he  dextrously 
managed  with  much  prudence  and  was  capable  by  reason  of 
his  singular  qualifications  of  the  greatest  publick  trust,  and 
among  the  rest  of  his  many  rare  natural  endowments,  he  had 
a  gift  of  expressing  himself  with  such  a  torrent  of  unaffected 
eloquence,  that  he  was  admired  by  all  that  knew  him,  and 
always  chosen  by  the  rest  of  the  Barons  to  be  their  mouth 
befor  the  highest  Courts  of  the  Kingdom  in  a  word  he  put 
such  a  lustre  upon  his  family  by  his  splendid  virtues  and 
worthie  actions  that  all  about  him  courted  his  favour  and 
friendship  and  he  became  to  be  as  singlie  esteemed  as  most 
of  his  rank  and  quahty,  and  certainly  if  God  had  not  removed 
him  to  a  better  life  by  untimely  death  in  the  midst  of  his 
days  he  had  done  great  things  for  his  family,  for  being 
much  subject  to  gout  and  ston,  the  last  of  these  diseases 
cut  his  days." 

Sir  Robert  Arbuthnot  married  first  Lady  Margaret  Keith, 
daughter  of  George,  fifth  Earl  Marischal — contract  being  dated 
23rd  December,  1615 — but  she  died  shortly  afterwards,  with- 
out issue. 

Sir  Robert,  who  died  15th  March,  1633,  married  secondly 
Margaret  Eraser,  daughter  of  Simon  Lord  Lovat — contract 
dated  at  Aberdeen,  29th  April,  1617 — and  by  her,  who  married 
secondly  Sir  John  Haldane  of  Gleneagles,  and  later  caused 
her  eldest  son  a  good  deal  of  legal  trouble  (see  Scots 
Peerage,  vol.  i,  p.  302),  had  issue — 

I.  Robert,  his  heir,  first  Viscount  Arbuthnott. ' 

'  Although  the  arrangement  of  this  part  of  the  pedigree  as  given  in  the 
Scots  Peerage  has  been  adopted  here,  the  author  must  note  that  information  sent 
her  by  Mr.  Alfred  Arbuthnot-Murray,  late  owner  of  Fiddes  Castle,  and  extracted, 
as  she  understands,  from  the  title-deeds  of  that  estate,  seems  to  suggest  that 
Robert,  first  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  was  son  of  Sir  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk 
by  his  first,  and  not  his  second,  wife.  This  is  at  variance  with  the  Rev.  Alexander 
Arbuthnot's  account,  but  the  author  is  assured  by  Mr.  Arbuthnot-Murray  that 
it  is  correct.  If  so,  the  legal  controversy  referred  to  above  becomes  more  natural 
as  taking  place  between  the  Viscount  and  his  stepmother,  rather  than  his  own 
mother.  Following  on  this,  a  suggestion  is  now  put  forward,  with  all  diffidence. 
In  1884  Mr.  Henry  T.  Wake,  writing  from  Wingfield  Park,  Derby,  sent  to  Mis- 
cellanea Gevealogica  et  Heraldica  some  information  regarding  an  old  Bible  in  his 
possession,  said  to  have  come  from  the  Lowlands  of  Scotland.  This  Bible,  which 
was  dated  1566,  and  printed  "  at  the  cost  and  charges  of  Richard  Carmarden," 


THE   ARBUTHNOTTS    OF   KINCARDINESHIRE     65 

II.  Andrew  of  Fiddes,  which  estate  he  purchased  from  his 
cousin  Robert  (p.  48).  He  married  Helen  Lindsay, 
daughter  of  Alexander  Lindsay  of  Canterland, 
and  widow  of  Melville  of  Baldovie  ;  of  him  the 
Rev.  Alexander  Arbuthnot  says :  "He  was  a 
very  gallant,  discreet,  kind,  honest  gentleman, 
and  died  in  the  flower  of  his  age  of  that  disease 
his  father  died  and  in  liklyhood  had  propagated 
to  him."  In  1642  Andrew  Arbuthnot,  "  brother 
german  to  Robert  Viscount  of  Arbuthnot,"  had  a 
charter  (signed  at  Aberdeen,  29th  November,  and 
at  Inverugie,  2nd  December)  from  John  Udny 
of  that  Ilk,  of  lands  in  Aberdeenshire,  namely, 
"  Tortarstoun,   with   the   mill   thereof   called   the 


and  which  was  stated  to  be  much  perished  with  damp,  contained  the  following 
entries  : 

"  19  Day  of  July  1619  Jane  Arbuthnot  was  borne  at  tene  hor  in  the  morning. 

"  The  third  Day  Juelij  1620  Robert  Arbuthnot  was  borne  at  thre  hor  in  the 
morning  being  Windy  Monday. 

"  The  16  of  September  162 1  Andrew  Arbuthnot  was  borne  at  foure  hor  in 
the  morning. 

"  The  penult  Day  of  August  1624  Margaret  Arbuthnot  was  borne  at  thre 
houres  in  the  morning  God  .   .   .  grant  the  grace. 

"  The  last  Day  of  Januari  1626  Janet  Arbuthnot  was  borne  at  twall  houres 
of  the  day  God  grant  the  grace. 

"  The  4  of  July  1628  Ally  Arbuthnot  was  borne  at  vj  houres  on   ...  at  night. 

"  The  9  of  November  1630  Jhone  Arbuthnot  was  borne  at  9  hours  at  night. 

"  Symon  Arbuthnot   my  sone  was  borne  on  tewysday  the  20  of   Noue'ber 
1632  at  twa  hours  in  the  morning  or  therby. 

"  Robert  Arbuthnot  my  sone  was  borne  on  the  twelth  of  December  uleuen 
houres   1638  yeares. 

"  My  sone  Allex''  was  borne  on  the  last  off  March  1654  yeares  about  twallue 
off  the  Clocke  att  night. 

"  The  26th  of  feb''  1659  My  Daughter  Anna  Arbuthnot  was  borne." 

The  question  that  suggests  itself  here  is  this  :  can  this  be,  at  least  in  part, 
the  family  of  Sir  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk  by  his  second  wife,  Margaret  Fraser  ? 
Names  and  dates  seem  roughly  to  correspond,  with  the  exception  that  we  must 
assume  that  Sir  Robert  had  two  sons  named  Robert  (stepbrothers),  certainly 
living  at  the  same  time.  (This  was  not  an  unusual  circumstance,  especially  where 
there  was  more  than  one  wife,  as  we  shall  have  occasion  to  notice  elsewhere.)  If 
there  is  anything  in  this  idea,  then  the  old  Bible  supplies  us  with  dates  of  birth 
not  obtainable  elsewhere.  The  author  knows  of  but  one  Simon  Arbuthnot  on 
the  pedigree — him  who  was  afterwards  of  Caterline,  and  was  brother  (or,  as  is 
now  suggested,  stepbrother)  to  the  first  Viscount  Arbuthnott.  Without  access 
to  the  original,  one  can  only  venture  to  guess,  but  one  might  further  suggest  that 
the  last  three  names  are  entered  in  a  different  hand  and  are  the  family  of  Sir 
Robert's  son,  the  first  Viscount.  The  names  correspond  exactly  with  his 
children — one  only,  Margaret,  being  omitted. 
5 


66  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

Scotismylne,  and  the  hill  called  Ravenscraig  with 
the  pertinents,  lying  in  the  parish  of  Peterugie, 
which  were  wadset  by  the  deceased  Earl  Marischal 
to  the  said  John  Udny  for  20,000  merks."  The 
charter  was  registered  24th  January,  1643,  and 
"  Robert  Arbuthnot  at  Inglismylne  "  gave  sasine 
as  bailie.'  This  was  confirmed  by  the  King  at 
Edinburgh,  ist  March,  1650.*  In  1665  Andrew 
Arbuthnot  "  of  Fiddes  "  had  a  charter  of  various 
lands  in  Kincardineshire,  including  Feteresso,  Cowie, 
and  others,  besides  property  in  Aberdeenshire, 
in  the  parishes  of  New  Deer,  Old  Deer,  Strathyne 
and  Longside.  In  the  latter  he  acquired  "  the 
toun  and  lands  of  Rora,  with  mill,  etc.,  and  the 
lands  of  Auverwhomrie,  with  mill,  etc. ;  Mintlaw, 
Langmuir,  Fortree  and  Auchlee."  Other  lands 
belonging  to  the  Keiths  passed  to  him  at  the 
same  time,  including  the  "  lands  and  Barony 
of  Altrie,  .  .  .  Peterhead,  Invernettie,  with  mill," 
etc 

Andrew  Arbuthnot  had  issue  by  Helen  Lindsay — 

(i)  Robert,  born  165 1.  Said  to  have  "  dis- 
appeared "  in  his  father's  lifetime. 

(2)  John,  infeft  in  Fiddes,  1700.     He  married 

Helen  Bruce,  daughter  of  Major  George 
Bruce,  son  of  Sir  Robert  Bruce  of  Clack- 
mannan, contract  being  dated  loth  March, 
1676. 

(3)  Alexander,  born  1653. 

(4)  Andrew,   born   1657. 
(i)  Jean,  born  1655. 

(2)  Helen,  born  1657,  married  first  Robert 
Burnett  of  Cowtown  (contract  dated 
7th  June,  1682),  and  secondly  John 
Sandilands. 

'Aberdeenshire    Sasines,    vol.    xii.     Robert    Arbuthnot    "at    Inglismylne" 
was  afterwards  of  Scotsmill,  and  was  grandfather  of  Dr.  John  Arbuthnot. 
•  Regisirum  Magni  Sigilli  Reguyn  Scotorum,  vol.  ix.     No.  2172. 
i  Ibid.,  vol.  xi.  No.  797. 


4 

i 


A  Page  of  the  Arbulhnott  Missal,  showing  ihe  Figure  of  St.  Ternan, 
Patron  Saint  of  Arbuthnott  Church. 


THE   ARBUTHNOTTS    OF   KINCARDINESHIRE     67 

III.  Alexander,  killed  at  the  battle  of  Dunbar  in  1650, 

"  a  most  proper  gentleman  who  was  unfortunatelie 
killed  at  Dunbar  fighting  valiantly  in  defence 
of  his  King  and  countrie  against  the  English 
nation." 

IV.  Simon,  of  Caterline,  which  estate  he  purchased  from 

Robert    Arbuthnot    in    1669.     He    had    issue    at 

least  three  sons — 

(i)  John  of  Caterline,  who  married  Magdalen 
Garden,  daughter  of  John  Garden  of  Law- 
ton,  and  had  issue:  (i)  John,  who  was  a 
shipmaster  in  Montrose,  and  died  before 
30th  July,  1737,  leaving  a  natural  daughter, 
Margaret.  (2)  Alexander,  was  at  Fort 
William,  Bengal,  in  1737,  and  died  before 
March,  1744.  (3)  James,  died  in  January, 
1752-  (4)  George,  (i)  Elizabeth,  died 
unmarried.  She  seems  to  have  been  "  of 
Balwhyllo."  She  acquired  the  estate  of 
Caterline  and  bequeathed  it  to  her  brother 
James,  with  remainder  to  various  heirs, 
faiUng  whom,  it  was  to  pass  to  the  head 
of  the  family.  Under  this  provision  John, 
fifth  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  succeeded  to 
it  in  1752. 

(2)  James,  shipmaster  in  Leith,  married  Helen 

Arnot. 

(3)  Robert,   merchant   in   Dundee.     He   left   a 

son  Andrew,  who  died  s.p. 

I.  Jean,  married  first  Alexander  Burnett  of  Leys, 
with  issue  ;  secondly  (1651)  Patrick  Gordon  of 
Glenbucket,  also  with  issue ;  •  and  thirdly  Sir 
William  Douglas  of  Glenbervie. 
11,  Margaret,  married  before  25th  June,  1640,  Sir 
Alexander  Carnegie  of  Pitarrow,  fourth  son  of 
David,  first  Earl  of  Southesk,  and  had  issue. 

■  In  1670  Robert  Lord  Arbuthnot,  Simon  Arbuthnot,  and  others,  were 
called  as  next-of-kin  to  Adam  Gordon,  "  now  of  Glenbucket,  lawful  son  of  the 
deceased  Patrick  Gordon  of  Glenbucket,  procreated  between  him  and  Dame  Jean 
Arbuthnot  his  spouse." — Sheriff  Court  Services  of  Heirs. 


68  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

III.  Janet,  married  before  15th  December,  1646,  William 
Rait  of  Halgreen,  and  had  issue.  Her  will  was 
recorded  5th  July,  1685. 

Sir  Robert  Arbuthnot,  who  died  in  1633,  had  also  a  natural 
son,  Robert,  mentioned  in  his  will. 

Robert,  first  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  succeeded  his  father 
in  the  estates  in  1633,  while  still  under  age,  and  had  as  curators 
his  uncle  James  of  DuUadies,  with  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Findow- 
rie  and  James  Burnett  of  Craigmyle.  On  17th  November, 
1641,  as  quite  a  young  man,  he  was  created  Viscount  Arbuthnott 
and  Baron  Bervie.' 

In  1642  Robert,  Viscount  of  Arbuthnott,  Sir  John  Carnegie 
of  Craig,  Sir  Alexander  Carnegie  of  Balnamoon,  William 
Rait  of  Halgreen,  and  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Findowrie,  with 
"  such  as  may  be  in  their  company,"  received  a  Dispensation 
from  the  Privy  Council  to  eat  flesh  in  Lent  for  a  year.' 

In  1645  the  Royalist  troops  under  Montrose  marched 
through  Kincardineshire,  and  laid  waste  the  Arbuthnott 
estates.  Lord  Arbuthnott  being  a  supporter  of  the  Covenanters. 
In  his  subsequent  complaint  to  Parliament,  presented  in  1649, 
he  states  that  he  "  hes  bene  maist  maliciouslie  opprest  and 
almost  ruinated,  for  in  the  moneth  of  Merch,  1645,  his  Landis 
within  the  sheriffdome  of  Kincardine  wes  brunt  and  waisted 
be  James  Grahame  and  his  adherentis,  enemies  to  this  kirk 
and  kingdome.  And  his  losses  at  that  time  did  exceede 
all  those  of  his  quahtie  where  he  lived,"  etc.  The  com- 
plaint goes  on  to  state  that  the  damage  amounts  to 
"  the  soume  of  fourscoir  thousand  pundis  or  thereby,  for  his 
Landis  wes  not  only  destroyed  and  waisted  by  burneing 
the  haill-houses  and  cornes  thereupon,  Bot  his  tennentis 
and  servandis  wes  most  cruellie  murderit,"  etc.  In  claiming 
exemption  from  a  proposed  levy  on  account  of  these  losses. 
Lord  Arbuthnott  claims  that  hitherto  he  has  made  no  attempt 
to  obtain  redress  for  the  injuries  done  him,  "  Altho  he  knowes 
that  their  is  none  benorth  the  tay  that  has  suffered  as  he  hes 
done,  Bot  has  gottin  some  satisfactioune  Less  or  More,"  etc. 

I  We  find  that  Inverbervie,  and  not   Bervie,   has   usually   been   adopted   as         I 
the  second  title. 

'  Arbuthnot  Papers,  Advocates'  Library. 


THE   ARBUTHNOTTS    OF   KINCARDINESHIRE     69 

After  considering  the  circumstances.  Parliament  consented 
to  exempt  Robert  Viscount  of  Arbuthnott  from  the  "  Levie 
bothe  of  horse  and  foote  .  .  .  and  that  in  respect  of  his  constant 
affectioune  and  of  his  former  extraordinary  sufferings."' 

Viscount  Arbuthnott  died  loth  October,  1655.  He  had 
married,  before  1639,  Lady  Marjorie  Carnegie,  daughter  of 
David,  first  Earl  of  Southesk,  and  widow  of  Wilham  Halyburton 
of  Pitcur.  She  died  22nd  December,  1651.  By  her  he  had 
issue — 

I.  Robert,  second  Viscount  Arbuthnott. 

I.  Margaret,  married  Sir  John  Forbes  of  Monymusk.' 

Viscount  Arbuthnott  married  secondly  (30th  June,  1653) 
his  cousin,  Katherine  Fraser,  daughter  of  Hugh,  eighth  Lord 
Lovat,  and  widow  of  Sir  John  Sinclair  of  Dunbeath.  (She 
is  said  to  have  married  secondly  Andrew,  third  Lord  Fraser.) 
By  her  he  had  issue — 

IL  Alexander  of  Knox,  of  whom  presently. 

H.  Anna,  married  WiUiam  Forbes,  son  and  heir  of  Robert 

Forbes  of  Ludquharn  (contract  dated  7th  February, 

1682). 

The  Hon.  Alexander  Arbuthnot  of  Knox,  the  second  son, 
was  born  in  1654.  He  entered  Parliament,  and  was  member 
for  Kincardineshire  from  1689  to  1702.  He  married  first 
Margaret,  daughter  of  Colonel  Harry  Barclay  of  Knox,  contract 
being  dated  22nd  Februarj^  1671.  By  her  he  appears  to  have 
had  no  issue.  He  married  secondly  Jean,  daughter  of  Patrick 
Scott  of  Rossie.  He  died  in  1705,  leaving  issue  by  his  second 
wife — 

I.  Alexander  of  Knox,  of  whom  presently, 
IL  Robert,  a  merchant  in  Edinburgh,  who  married 
Ehzabeth,  daughter  of  Robert  Mallock,  an  Edin- 
burgh merchant,  contract  being  dated  22nd  Feb- 
ruary, 1712.  He  died  in  1714,  leaving  issue  by 
her   (who  married  secondly   Kenneth  Gordon  of 

•  Acts  of  Parliament  of  Scotland,  vol.  vi.  Part  II,  p.  324. 

'  From  this  marriage  descended,  remotely,  Mary  Urquhart,  wife  of  Robert 
Arbuthnot,  second  of  Haddo-Rattray.  See  the  chart  facing  p.  294,  where  this 
descent  is  traced. 


70  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

Cluny)  an  only  son,  Robert,  who  lived  at  Deptford, 
and  married  (22nd  July,  1750)  his  cousin,  Mary, 
daughter  of  the  Hon.  Thomas  Arbuthnott,  and  had 
a  daughter,  Ehzabeth,  who  died  in  1753, 

in.  James,  born  in  1693,  died  young. 
I.  Jean,  who  married  Samuel  Straton,  a  physician  of 
Montrose. 

II.  Catharine,  married  Charles  StirUng  of  Kippendavic. 

III.  Margaret,    married    James    Napier,    postmaster    of 

Montrose. 

IV.  Janet,   died   unmarried. 

V.  Elizabeth,  died  unmarried. 
VI.  Isabel. 

The  eldest  son,  Alexander  Arbuthnott  of  Knox,  was  a 
merchant  in  Edinburgh.  He  married  in  1703  Janet,  daughter 
of  John  Rennald  of  Larnie,  and  died  7th  October,  1764,  having 
by  her  had  issue — 

I.  Robert  of  Kirkbraehead,  of  whom  presently. 
II.  Archibald,  who  was  an  Edinburgh  merchant,  and  who 
died  in  1771,  having  married  Margaret  Lee,  and 
by  her  had  issue — 
(i)  Evander. 

(2)  Archibald,    a    Turkey    merchant,    died    in 

1783. 

(3)  Romeo,    a    stockbroker    in     London,    who 

married  Christian  Ramsay,  and  died  in 
1783,  leaving  issue :  (i)  James ;  (2) 
Thomas  ;  (3)  Harry  ;  (i)  Jean  ;  (2)  Anne  ; 

(3)  Margaret,  married  Thomas  Whittier  ; 

(4)  Christian. 
III.  Patrick,  born  in  1710. 

I.  Jean,  married  William  Galloway. 
II.  Margaret,  born  in  1706,  died  young. 

Robert  Arbuthnott  of  Kirkbraehead,  near  Edinburgh, 
eldest  son  of  Alexander  Arbuthnott  of  Knox,  was  born  in 
1708,  and  married  Ehzabeth,  daughter  of  John  Riddel  of 
Grange.  (She  died  6th  January,  1763.)  He  died  at  Kirk- 
braehead 1st  February,  1773,  having  had  issue — 


THE   ARBUTHNOTTS   OF   KINCARDINESHIRE     71 

I.  Alexander,  served  heir  to  his  father  in  May,  1773. 
II.  John. 

III.  Robert    (Lieutenant-Colonel),  in  the   31st   Foot,  of 
whom  below. 
I.  Helen,  born  in  1760,  married  (nth  December,  1777) 
Hugh    James    Paterson    RoUo    of    Bannockburn, 
and  died  5th  February,  1838,  leaving  issue. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Robert  Arbuthnott,  31st  Foot,  third 
son  of  Robert  Arbuthnott  of  Kirkbraehead,  married  Cordeha 
Murray,  and  died  loth  July,  1796,  on  board  the  Raymond 
from  wounds  received  at  St.  Lucia,  leaving  issue — 

I.  Alexander  Dundas  Young  (Admiral  Sir),  of  whom 

below. 
I.  Josette,  married  first,  29th  December,  1808,  Captain 

Hughes,  and  secondly  General  Sir  De  Lacy  Evans, 

G.C.B.,  M.P. 

Admiral  Sir  Alexander  Dundas  Young  Arbuthnott  was 
born  at  Torton,  Hants,  in  1789,  and  entered  the  Navy  in  1803. 
He  served  as  midshipman  in  the  Mars  at  Trafalgar  in  1805, 
was  present  at  the  capture  of  Le  Rhin  in  1806,  and  that  of  four 
French  frigates  off  Rochefort  by  Sir  Samuel  Hood's  Squadron 
in  1806.  Was  with  the  expedition  to  Copenhagen  in  1807, 
was  at  the  capture  of  Antwerp  and  escorted  the  Emperor 
of  Russia  and  the  King  of  Prussia  to  England  in  18 14.  Was 
Commander  of  the  Jasper  on  a  mission  to  St.  Petersburg 
in  1823,  when  he  received  the  Order  of  St.  George  of  Russia. 
He  served  with  the  British  Auxiliary  Legion  in  Spain  in  1835-7 
as  Colonel  and  Brigadier-General,  including  the  relief  of  San 
Sebastian  and  the  storming  of  Irun.  For  his  services  in 
Spain  he  was  made  Knight  Commander  of  Charles  III  and 
received  the  Order  of  San  Fernando.  He  served  in  Syria 
in  1840-2  with  the  Commissioners  employed  with  the  Turkish 
Army  in  driving  the  Egyptian  forces  under  Ibrahim  Pacha 
out  of  Syria.  He  received  the  Turkish  Gold  Medal  and  Order 
of  Medjidieh.  Was  knighted  in  1859.  Naval  Medal  and  Clasp. 
Was  Gentleman  of  the  Privy  Chamber  to  George  IV  and 
Queen  Victoria.  Died  at  Shenton  Hall,  Leicester,  8th  May, 
1871. 


72  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

He  married  in  1827  Catherine  Mary,  daughter  of  the  Rev. 
Charles  Eustace,  heir-male  of  the  Viscounts  Baltinglass,  and 
by  her  had  issue — 

Josette  Eliza  Jane,  only  child  and  heiress,  married  (15th 
April,  1850),  Frederick  WoUaston  of  Shenton  Hall,  Leicester, 
and  died  12th  January,  1909,  leaving  issue. 

Robert,  first  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  died  loth  October, 
1655,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  eldest  son — 

Robert,  second  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  concerning  whom 
comparatively  little  seems  to  be  known.  He  was  one  of  the 
witnesses  present  when  the  Rev.  James  Granger,  in  1660, 
restored  to  the  seventh  Earl  Marischal  the  Regalia  of  Scotland, 
which  had  been  buried  within  the  Church  of  Kinneff  beneath 
the  pulpit.  He  was  an  officer  in  the  Mihtia,  and  held  various 
posts  under  the  Government,  such  as  Overseer  of  Highways, 
Overseer  of  Levies  of  Seamen  for  Kincardineshire,  etc.,  between 
1666  and  1680.' 

Among  the  Arhuthnot  Papers  at  the  Advocates'  Library 
is  a  Certificate,  dated  5th  December,  1681,  which  sets  forth 
that  Robert,  Viscount  of  Arbuthnot,  "  took  the  Test  in  presence 
of  the  President  of  the  Session  and  others  at  Edinburgh  on 
24th  November  last." 

He  married  first  Lady  Elizabeth  Keith,  daughter  of  William, 
seventh  Earl  Marischal  (contract  dated  25th  March,  1658), 
and  by  her  (who  died  in  1664)  had  issue — 

I.  Robert,  his  heir,  third  Viscount  Arbuthnott. 

L  Margaret,    married   in    1677    Sir   Thomas    Burnett, 

third  Baronet,  of  Leys,  and  died  July,  1744,  having 

had  by  him  twenty-one  children. 

Viscount  Arbuthnott  married  secondly  Katherine  Gordon,' 
daughter  of  Robert  Gordon  of  Straloch  (contract  dated  30th 
July,  1667),  and  died  15th  June,  1682,  having  by  her  (who 

'  Registers  of  the  Privy  Council,  3rd  Series,  vols,  iii.-vi. 

'  In  a  letter  addressed  to  "  Arbuthnot  of  Findowrie  "  a  short  time  before 
his  second  marriage.  Lord  Arbuthnot  announces  his  betrothal  to  "  Straloch's 
daughter."  After  noting  that  the  tocher  will  be  but  small,  he  continues  :  "  I 
am  very  confident  the  gentlewomane  is  of  ane  good  dispositione  and  fears  God 
(although  a  Gordon),  and  her  freinds  will  be  no  burthen  unto  me,  so  that  bothe 
myselfe  and  famely  may  be  als  hapie  in  this  choyse  as  in  ane  higher  match." — 
See  Spalding  Club  Miscellany,  vol.  iv.  p.  178.     Gordon  Papers. 


THE   ARBUTHNOTTS    OF   KINCARDINESHIRE     73 

married   secondly  Sir    David    Carnegie,  second    Baronet,  of 
Pitarrow)  had  issue — 

II.  John  of  Fordoun,  who  bought  that  estate  from  his 
brother,  the  third  Viscount.  He  died  in  1737, 
and  was  buried  at  Arbuthnott,  having  had  issue 
by  his  wife,  Margaret  Falconer,  eldest  daughter 
of  Sir  James  Falconer  of  Phesdo — 

(i)  James,  a  merchant  in  Edinburgh,  died  un- 
married   in    1727. 

(2)  John  of  Fordoun,  afterwards  sixth  Viscount 

Arbuthnott.     Of  him  presently. 

(3)  Thomas  of  Balglassie  (or  Arbuthnotshaugh, 

he  having  changed  the  name  of  this 
estate),  a  doctor  in  Montrose.  He 
matriculated  his  arms  in  the  Lyon  Office 
in  1765.  He  married  Margaret  Forbes, 
daughter  of  Forbes  of  Thornton,  and 
died  in  1767,  leaving  issue  :  (i)  John, 
born  1739 ;  (2)  Thomas,  born  1741 ; 
(3)  Alexander  George ;  (i)  Margaret, 
married  William  Ross,  merchant  in  Mon- 
trose ;  (2)  Jean,  married  Alexander  Gordon 
of  Glendaveny ;  (3)  Elizabeth,  married 
William  Forbes,  merchant  in  Aberdeen, 
(i)  Ehzabeth,  died  i6th  April,  1775,  buried 
in   St.    Nicholas'    Churchyard,   Aberdeen. 

(2)  Margaret,  died  25th  December,  1779,  buried 

at  St.  Nicholas'. 

(3)  Jean,  died  19th  July,   1781,  buried  at  St. 

Nicholas.' 

(4)  Anne,    died   at   Aberdeen,    15th   February, 

1777. 

(5)  Mary,  married  John  Douglas  of  Tilwhilly, 

and  died  25th  May,  1783,  leaving  issue. 

(6)  Catherine,  married  James  Moir  of  Invernettie 

and  died  28th  January,  1775,  s.p. 

III.  Alexander,  married  Jean,  eldest  daughter  of  Sir 
James  Maitland  of  Pitrichie,  heiress  to  that  estate 
on  her  brother's  death  in  1704.     He  assumed  the 


74  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

name  and  arms  of  Maitland  in  place  of  those  of 
Arbuthnott.     By  his  wife  he  left  issue — 

(i)  Charles  Maitland,  Sheriff  of  the  County 
of  Edinburgh  in  1747,  M.P.  for  Aberdeen 
Burghs   in    1748  ;    died   unmarried,  1751. 

(i)  Katherine  Maitland,  died  unmarried. 

{2)  Mary  Anne  Maitland,  died  unmarried. 

(3)  Margaret  Maitland,  died  unmarried. 

IV.  Thomas,  a  merchant  in  Edinburgh,  died  November, 
1745,  having  had  issue  by  his  wife,  Elizabeth 
Falconer,  second  daughter  of  Sir  James  Falconer 
of  Phesdo — 

(i)  James,  of  Finnart,  died  s.p.  1747. 

(2)  Robert  (Captain)  of  Lord  John  Murray's 
Highland  Regiment,  succeeded  his  brother 
in  the  estate  of  Finnart,  and  died  before 
4th  February,  1762. 

(i)  Anne,  died  unmarried. 

(2)  Elizabeth,  died  unmarried. 

(3)  Mary,  married  (22nd  July,  1750)  her  cousin, 

Robert  Arbuthnot,  shipwright  in  Deptford, 
and  died  25th  March,  1754. 

I.  Elizabeth,    born    1669,   married   Andrew   Wood   of 

Balbegno. 
II.  Catherine,  married  first  Robert   Gordon   of  Cluny, 
and   had  issue,  and  secondly  David   Riccart,  by 
whom  she  had  issue. 

III.  Anne,  married  John  Hay  of  Westhall. 

IV.  Helen,  married  first  John  Macfarlane  of  Arrocher, 

and  had  issue,   and  secondly  John  Spottiswood 
of  that  Ilk,  also  with  issue. 
V.  Jean,  died  unmarried. 

Robert,  third  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  born  in  1661,  was 
served  heir  to  his  father,  12th  September,  1682.  He  married 
(3rd  May,  1683)  Lady  Anne  Sutherland  Gordon,  daughter  of 
George,  fourteenth  Earl  of  Sutherland.  (She  died  in  June, 
1695.)     Of  their  issue  presently. 


THE   ARBUTHNOTTS    OF   KINCARDINESHIRE     75 

In  1687  Viscount  Arbuthnott  was  called  as  one  of  the  next- 
of-kin  to  Alexander  Arbuthnot,  last  Laird  of  Cairngall,  a 
somewhat  curious  circumstance,  concerning  which  some 
comments  will  be  found  on  p.  134.  He  was  a  warm  supporter 
of  WiUiam  of  Orange,  and  died  in  August,  1694. 

In  Robert  Chambers'  Domestic  Annals  oj  Scotland,^  it  is 
stated  that  "  Provision  was  made  by  the  Privy  Council  in 
March,  1695,  for  the  widowed  Viscountess  of  Arbuthnot 
(Anne,  daughter  of  the  fourteenth  Earl  of  Sutherland),  who 
had  been  left  with  seven  children  all  under  age,  and  whose 
husband's  testament  had  been  '  reduced.'  In  her  petition 
the  Viscountess  represented  that  the  estate  was  twenty-four 
thousand  merks  per  annum  (£1,333  sterling).  '  My  Lord, 
being  now  eight  years  of  age,  has  a  governor  and  a  servant ; 
her  two  eldest  daughters,  the  one  being  eleven,  and  the  other 
ten  years  of  age,  and  capable  of  all  manner  of  schooling,  they 
must  have  at  least  one  servant,  as  for  the  youngest  son  and 
three  youngest  daughters,  they  are  yet  within  the  years  of 
seven,  so  each  of  them  must  have  a  woman  to  wait  upon 
them.'  Lady  Arbuthnot  was  provided  with  a  jointure  of 
twenty-five  chalders  of  victual,  and  as  her  jointure-house  was 
ruinous,  she  desired  leave  to  occupy  the  family  mansion  of 
Arbuthnot  House,  which  her  son  was  not  himself  of  an  age 
to  possess. 

"  The  Lords,  having  enquired  into  and  considered  the 
relative  circumstances,  ordained  that  £2,000  Scots  (£166  13s.  4d.) 
should  be  paid  to  Lady  Arbuthnot  out  of  the  estate,  for  the 
maintenance  of  her  children,  including  the  young  Lord. 

"  The  Lady  soon  after  dying,  the  Earl  her  father  came  in 
her  place  as  keeper  of  the  children  at  the  same  allowance." 

By  Lady  Anne  Gordon,  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  who  died 
in  1694,  had  issue — 

I.  Robert,  fourth  Viscount  Arbuthnott. 
II.  George,  died  in  infancy. 

III.  William,  died  in  infancy. 

IV.  John,  fifth  Viscount  Arbuthnott. 

I.  Jean,  married  Captain  Crawford  of  Camlurg,  and  had 
issue. 

'  Vol.  iii.  p.  57. 


76  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

II.  Anne,  married  (1717)  Robert  Burnett,  second  son 
of  Robert  Burnett  of  Glenbervie,  known  as  Tutor 
of  Glenbervie. 

III.  Isobel,  died  in  1692. 

IV.  Mary. 

V.  Margaret,  died  1747. 
VI.  Helen,  died  1741. 
VII.  Janet,  died  1706. 

Robert,  fourth  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  born  in  1686,  was 
served  heir  to  his  father,  ist  November,  1695.  He  never 
married,  and  dying  in  1710  was  buried  at  Bath  Abbey.  He 
was  succeeded  by  his  brother — 

John,  fifth  Viscount  Arbuthnott.  He  married  Jean,  second 
daughter  of  William  Morrison  of  Prestongrange,  and  died 
s.p.,  8th  May,  1756.     He  was  succeeded  by  his  cousin, 

John,  sixth  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  eldest  surviving  son  of 
the  Hon.  John  Arbuthnott  of  Fordoun  (p.  y2>)y  to  which  estate 
he  had  succeeded  in  1738.  He  married  first  Marjorie,  daughter 
and  co-heiress  of  Robert  Douglas  of  Bridgeford  (marriage 
contract  being  dated  16th  April,  1740),  and  secondly,  in  August, 
1749,  Jean,  third  daughter  of  Alexander  Arbuthnot  of  Findowrie 
(P-  55). 

Viscount  Arbuthnott  died  at  Arbuthnott  House  20th 
April,  1791,  having  by  his  second  wife  had  issue — 

I.  Robert,  Master  of  Arbuthnott,  who  died  v.p.  and  s.p. 
before  ist  August,  1785. 

11.  John,  seventh  Viscount  Arbuthnott. 
III.  Hugh,  drowned  while  crossing  the  Southesk,  a  little 
above  Brechin,  2nd  October,  1778.  John  Moir 
says  of  him  that  he  "  perished  in  the  Southesk  .  .  . 
coming  from  Forfar  in  a  chaise,  which  was  over- 
turned in  the  river  at  the  ford  of  Auldbar,  by  the 
carelessness  of  the  driver,  who  was  intoxicated. 
Mr.  Arbuthnott  got  safe  out,  but  venturing  in  to 
attempt  the  rescue  of  the  horses,  was  carried 
beyond  his  depth  and  drowned." 
I.  Charlotte. 

II.  Margaret,  married  Sir  Alexander  Dunbar  of  North- 
field,  Bart.,  and  had  issue. 


THE   ARBUTHNOTTS    OF   KINCARDINESHIRE     77 

John,  seventh  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  born  1754.  He 
married  Isabella,  second  daughter  of  Wilham  Barclay  Grahame 
of  Morphie  and  Balmakewan,  and  died  at  Edinburgh,  27th 
February,  1800,  leaving  issue  by  her  (who  died  4th  March, 
1818)— 

I.  John,  eighth  Viscount  Arbuthnott. 
II.  Hugh   (Sir),   K.C.B.,  born   1780,  entered  the  Army 
in  1796.     He  was  M.P.  for  Kincardineshire  from 
1826  to   1865,   and  died  unmarried,    nth   June, 
1868. 

III.  Robert,  died  unmarried  in  1801. 

IV.  Francis  WilHam,  died  unmarried  in  1809. 
V.  Duncan,  died  unmarried  in  1818. 

VI.  William  (General),  R.A.,  died  unmarried    in    1876. 
VII.  James,   (Captain)  in    the    Navy,  died    at    Madeira 
in  1817,  as  a  result  of  wounds  received  while  in 
command  of  H.M.S.  Avon. 
VIII.  Mariot,  died  unmarried. 
IX.  Alexander,  died  unmarried  in  1870. 
I.  Jane,  died  unmarried  in  1841. 
II.  Catherine,    married    (1805)    the   Rev.    David   Lyell, 
minister  of  the  parish  of  Careston,  and  had  issue. 
She  died  in  1853. 

John,  eighth  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  born  i6th  January, 
1778.  He  was  a  representative  Peer  of  Scotland  and  Lord 
Lieutenant  of  Kincardineshire.  He  married  (at  Cortachy 
Castle,  Forfarshire,  25th  June,  1805)  Margaret,  eldest  daughter 
of  the  Hon.  Walter  Ogilvy  of  Clova,  second  son  of  John, 
fourth  Earl  of  Airlie.  He  died  in  January,  i860,  having  had 
issue — 

I.  John,  ninth  Viscount  Arbuthnott. 
II.  Walter,  (Captain)  in  the  Army,  born  21st  November, 
1808.  He  married  (i6th  May,  1835)  Anna  Maria, 
daughter  of  Brook  Taylor  Ottley  of  Delaford, 
Co.  Dublin,  and  died  5th  January,  i8gi,  having 
by  her  had  issue — 

(i)  John    Robert,    born     28th    August,    1838 
died  unmarried,  24th  March,  1872. 


78  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

(2)  Walter  Charles  Warner,  thirteenth  and  pre- 
sent Viscount  Arbuthnott,  of  whom 
presently. 

(i)  Margaret  Isabella  Maria,  died  1845. 

(2)  Theresa  Alice  Jean,  died  in  1851, 

(3)  Blanche,  died  in   1851. 

(4)  Kathleen    Georgiana,    born    1849,    married 

(1877)  Lieut. -Colonel  Arthur  John  Rait, 
C.B.,  of  Anniston,  and  had  issue. 

III.  Hugh  (Lieut-Colonel),   3rd   Madras   Light   Cavalry, 

born  13th  August,  1812,  died  in  1866. 
He  married  (1854)  Susanna,  daughter  of  John 
Campbell,  and  had  issue — 

(i)  John  Campbell,  born  1858,  CLE.  married 
(1887)  Jeannie  Sinclair,  daughter  of  Robert 
Hamilton,  and  has  issue :  (i)  Hugh 
Hamilton,  born  1894  ;  (2)  Robert  Keith, 
born  1897 ;  (i)  Jeannie,  born  1888 ; 
(2)  Margaret  Ogilvy,  born  1892 ;  (3) 
Susannah  Mary,  born  1901. 

(2)  Hugh  Corsar,  C.E.,  born  i860,  died  1915, 
having  married  (1886)  Marianne,  daughter 
of  Archibald  Gibson,  and  had  issue : 
(i)  John,  born  1894 ;  (2)  Hugh,  born 
1896;  (3)  Archibald,  born  1898;  (4)  Robert, 
born   1900  ;  (i)  Jean,  born  1887. 

IV.  David,   C.S.I.,  born   13th  April,  1820  ;   entered  the 

Madras  Civil  Service,  and  died  in  1901.  He 
married  (1847)  Eliza,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Forbes  Reynolds,  M.D.,  and  has  issue — 

(i)  John  Pelly,  born  1851,  died  unmarried, 
1878. 

(2)  Lindsay  George,  born  1853,  District  Inspector 

of  PoUce  m  Madras ;  married  (1907) 
Gertrude  Forbes,  daughter  of  Clifford  E.  F. 
Nash,  barrister-at-law,  of  Cheltenham. 

(3)  David,  Lieut.  67th  Foot,  born  1856,  died 

unmarried,   1878. 


THE   ARBUTHNOTTS    OF   KINCARDINESHIRE     79 

(4)  Donald  Stewart,  C.E.,  born  i860,  married 
(1892)  Anne  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  James 
Brand  of  Glasgow,  and  died  29th  Septem- 
ber, 1918,  having  had  issue  :  (i)  David, 
born  1892  ;  (2)  James  Gordon,  born  1894  ; 
(3)  John  Sinclair,  born  1898  ;  (4)  Donald 
Charles,  born  1902  ;  (5)  Hugh  Forbes,  born 
1906 ;  (i)  Edith  Gertrude,  born  1895  ; 
(2)  Margaret,  born  1896 ;  (3)  Anne  ;  (4) 
Eliza  Mary  ;  (5)  Mary  Frances  Clementina. 

(i)  Margaret  Frances,  born  1850,  died  nth 
January,  1917. 

(2)  Louisa  Curzon,  born  1855,  died  at  Paignton, 

nth  January,  1919. 

(3)  Eliza  Clementina  Mary,  born  1858. 

V.  William,  E.I.C.S.,  born  i8th  October,  1821,  married 
(1865)  Barbara  Elrington,  daughter  of  Lieut, - 
General  Sir  Neil  Douglas,  K.C.B.,  and  widow  of 
Neil  Ferguson  Blair  of  Balthayock,  and  died 
s.p.  13th  December,  1902. 
VI.  Charles  James  Donald  (Major),  Bengal  Light  Infan- 
try, born  2ist  March,  1823,  married  (1852)  Caroline, 
widow  of  E.  Paul,  E.I.C.S.,  and  died  s.p.  26th 
January,  1903. 
I.  Jean  Ogilvy,  born  9th  August,  1807,  married  (1830) 
Commander  James  Cheape,  and  died  22nd  October, 
1900. 

II.  Margaret,  born  6th  January,  1810,  married  (1837) 
W.  J.  Lurasden  of  Balmedie,  and  died  s.p.  4th 
March,  1845. 

III.  Isabella  Mary,  born  5th  July,  1811,  died  unmarried, 

1828. 

IV.  Anne  Charlotte,  born  17th  November,  1813,  married 

(1847)  Alexander  Cheape  of  Strathtyrum,  and  had 
issue. 
V.  Helen,  born  loth  April,  1815,  married  (1839)  Freder- 
ick Lewis  Scrymgeour  Wedderburn  of  Wedderburn, 
Forfar,  and  of  Birkhill,  Fife,  and  died  in  1840, 
leaving  issue. 


80  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

VI.  Charlotte   Louisa,    born    19th   April,  1817,   died   in 
1831,  unmarried. 
VII.  Clementina  Maria,  born  17th  August,  1818,  married 
(1854)  Colonel  William  Rose  Campbell  of  Ballochyle, 
Argyllshire,  and  died  in  1857  ^-P- 

John,  ninth  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  born  at  Airlie  House, 
4th  June,  1806,  was  for  a  time  in  the  Army.  He  married 
(5th  June,  1837)  his  cousin.  Lady  Jean  Graham  Drummond 
Ogilvy,  eldest  daughter  of  David,  sixth  Earl  of  AirUe,  and 
died  26th  May,  1891,  having  by  her  (who  died  4th  March, 
1902)  had  issue — 

I.  John,  tenth  Viscount  Arbuthnott. 
II.  David,   eleventh  Viscount  Arbuthnott. 

III.  Hugh,  late  Lieut.  8ist  Foot,  born  loth  September, 

1847,  died  unmarried,  17th  July,  1906, 

IV.  WiUiam,  twelfth  Viscount  Arbuthnott. 

I.  Clementina,  born   1838,   married   (21st  June,    1864) 
Alexander  Stuart  of  Inchbreck  and  Laithers,  and 
has  issue. 
II.  Margaret,  born  1854. 

John,  tenth  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  was  born  20th  July, 
1843.  He  was  for  a  time  in  the  Army,  and  married  (20th 
April,  1871)  Anna  Harriet,  only  child  of  Edmund  Allen. 
(She  died  23rd  April,  1892.)  Lord  Arbuthnott  died  30th 
November,  1895,  without  issue,  and  was  succeeded  by  his 
brother — 

David,  eleventh  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  born  29th  January, 
1845.  He  died  24th  May,  1914,  unmarried,  and  was  succeeded 
by  his  brother — 

William,  twelfth  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  born  24th  October, 
1849,  died  8th  November,  1917,  unmarried,  and  was  succeeded 
by  his  cousin — 

Walter  Charles  Warner  (Lieut.-Colonel,  R.A.),  thirteenth 
and  present  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  born  22nd  October,  1847  ; 
married  (15th  January,  1878)  Emma  Marion  Hall,'  daughter 

'  During  the  Great  War,  1914-18,  Lady  Arbuthnott  has  worked  for  the  British 
Red  Cross  in  Switzerland,  has  interested  herself  in  the  French  and  Belgian  refugees, 
and  in  providing  comforts  for  prisoners  of  war  in  Germany. 


THE   ARBUTHNOTTS    OF   KINCARDINESHIRE     81 

of   the  Rev.  John  Hall  Parlby  of  Manaden,  Devonshire,  and 
has  had  issue — 

I.  Walter  St.  John  Mayne,  born  30th  September,  1880, 
died  November  the  same  year. 

II.  John  Ogilvy,  Master  of  Arbuthnott,  born  15th 
September,  1882  ;  served  in  the  European  War  ; 
enlisted  in  the  Calgary  Light  Horse,  Canadian 
Army,  February,  1917  ;  commissioned  Lieutenant 
Welsh  Guards,  September,  1918.  He  married 
(4th  June,  1914)  Dorothy,  youngest  daughter  of 
Admiral  Charles  Lister  Oxley,  of  the  Hall,  Ripon, 
Yorkshire. 
III.  Hugh  Robin  Claud  (Captain),  5th  BattaHon  Black 
Watch ;  born  12th  September,  1884 ;  served 
in  the  European  War  (1914  Medal)  ;  was  seriously 
wounded  at  Neuve-Chapelle,  France,  i8th  March, 
1915.  He  married  (4th  September,  1915)  Katherine 
Alice  Tindall.daughter  of  Tindall  Lucas  of  Foxholes, 
Hitchin. 
I.  Georgiana  Muriel,  born  31st  July,  1881. 

II.  Violet  Anna,  born  8th  September,   1883,  died   ist 

January,  1884. 
III.  Nora  Gertrude,  born  1885. 


PART  II 

THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE, 
FIRST    BRANCH  : 

THE  DESCENDANTS  OF  JAMES  ARBUTHNOT  OF 
LENTUSCHE,  ENDING  IN  THE  LAIRDS  OF  CAIRNGALL. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE,  FIRST 
BRANCH : 

THE   DESCENDANTS   OF  JAMES   ARBUTHNOT  OF   LENTUSCHE, 
ENDING   IN   THE   LAIRDS   OF   CAIRNGALL. 

We  shall  now  endeavour  to  trace  the  descendants  of  Hugh 
Arbuthnot,  second  son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk  and 
Giles  Ogilvy  (p.  37),  whom  we  regard  as  the  direct  ancestor 
of  the  Aberdeenshire  branch  of  the  Arbuthnot  family.  He 
married  Janet  Balmakewan,  daughter  of  George  Balmakewan 
of  that  Ilk,  and  died  before  the  28th  September,  1477,  in  which 
year  his  widow  "  granted  a  procutory  to  David  Ogilvy  of  that 
Ilk  and  Thomas  Fotheringham  of  Powrie,  to  resign  her  lands  of 
Easter  Brichty  into  the  hands  of  David,  Earl  of  Crawford."' 
By  her  he  had  issue — 

I.  John,  of  Easter  Brichty,  of  whom  below. 
II.  David,  of  whom  presently. 

III.  Hugh,  who  married  a  daughter  of  Hay  of  Sandford, 

and  left  no  male  issue. 

IV.  William,  a  notary. 

V.  Alexander,  "  a  clerk  in  holy  orders,  who  attained  to 
considerable  dignity  in  the  Church."  » 

The  eldest  son,  John  Arbuthnot  of  Easter  Brichty,  obtained 
a  remission  in  1508  for  "  art  and  part  in  the  murder  of  Robert 
Scrymgeour  and  John  Jacob."'  In  1511  he  had  a  charter  of 
the  lands  of  Easter  Brichty  from  Archibald,  Earl  of  Angus. <  In 
1526  William  Hamiltoun  of  Mcnaristoun  got  "  the  eschete 
gudis  of  Johne  Arbuthnot  of  Brichtin."'  In  1528  he  had  a 
charter  of  the  lands  of  Easter  Brichty  in  Forfarshire  and  the 

'  Scots  Peerage,  vol.  i.  p.  280.  »  Ibid.,  vol.  i.  p.  281. 

I  Great  Seal,  vol.  i.  No.   1644.  4  Scots  Peerage,  vol.  i.  p.  280. 

I  Privy  Seal,  vol.  i.  No.  3660.1 


86  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

third  part  of  Monyflett.  In  January  the  following  year  he 
received  another  third  of  the  lands  of  Monyflett,  resigned 
by  John  Erskine  of  Dun. 

He  married  Janet  Mason,  "  a  woman  of  Dundee,"  by 
whom  he  had  no  male  issue,  and  on  his  death  his  lands  were 
divided  between  his  two  daughters — 

I.  Katherine,  married  to  Gorthie  of  that  Ilk,  and 
II.  Margaret,  married  first  to  Alexander  Balbirnie  of 
Inverichte,  and  secondly  to  John  Ogilvy.  In 
1566  the  elder  sister's  inheritance  was  claimed  by 
"  Katherine  Gorthy,  niece  and  heir  of  the  deceased 
Katherine  Arbothnoth,  who  was  one  of  the  two 
daughters  of  John  Arbothnot  of  Easter  Brichty," 
etc.  Katherine  Gorthie's  husband,  George  Lundie, 
was  associated  with  her  in  this  claim.' 

The  second  son  of  Hugh  Arbuthnot  and  Janet  Balmakewan, 
David  Arbuthnot,  married  Christian  Rhind  of  Carse,  and 
had  by  her  five  sons  and  "  several  daughters."  * 

The  five  sons  were — 

I.  John  Arbuthnot  of  Portertown  in  Kincardineshire 

and  of  Legasland  in  Angus. 
II.  James  of  Little  Fiddes,  living  1558,  1569  and  1576, 
being  mentioned  in  the  latter  year  in  his  brother 
John's   will,   recorded   4th   February. 

III.  David. 

IV.  Alexander. 
V.  Hugh. 

John  Arbuthnot  in  Portertown  and  of  Legasland,  eldest 
son  of  David  Arbuthnot  and  Christian  Rhind,  appears  as 
witness  to  various  deeds  in  1553,  1563,  1586,  etc.,»  and  in 
1559  he  is  mentioned  in  a  process  of  law  between  William, 
fourth  Earl  Marischal  and  Andrew,  Master  of  ErroU,  John 
Arbuthnot  appearing  in  the  inquest  on  the  side  of  the  Earl 
Marischal.* 

'  Register  of  Ads  and  Decreets,  vol.  xxxvi. 

>  Scots  Peerage,  vol.  i.  p.  280. 

»  Registrutn  Magni  Sigilli  Regum  Scolorum,  vol.  iv. 

*  Collections  for  the  History  of  Aberdeen  and  Banff,  vol.  iii.  p.  129. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE   87 

He  married  Christian  Fraser,  of  the  family  of  Fraser  of 
Durris,  and  died  in  January,  1573-4,  having  had  by  her  five 
sons,  as  follows  : — 

I.  James,  believed  to  be  identical  with  James  Arbuthnot 
of  Lentusche,  Portertown,  Keir,  etc.,  of  whom 
presently.  We  may  notice  that  this  James  is  not 
mentioned  in  his  father's  will,  but  this  is  not 
unusual,  as  the  eldest  son,  being  frequently  provided 
for  during  his  father's  hfetime,  was  very  often 
ignored  in  the  will.  John  Arbuthnot  in  Porter- 
town  certainly  had  an  eldest  son  James,  and,  in 
this  case,  by  the  time  of  his  father's  death  in 
1573.  James  seems  to  have  been  well  provided 
for.  We  find  mention  of  "  James  Arbuthnot, 
eldest  son  of  John  Arbuthnot  in  Portertown," 
as  being  present  with  his  mother.  Christian 
Fraser,  at  the  taking  of  an  inventory  of  the  goods 
of  Christian  Keith,  spouse  of  Robert  Arbuthnot 
of  that  Ilk,  "  at  the  place  of  Arbuthnot  on  12th 
July,  1553."  • 

II.  Robert,  beheved  to  be  identical  with  Robert  Arbuth- 
not, "  brother-german  "  of  James  Arbuthnot  of 
Lentusche,  of  whom  mention  is  found  in  1566-7, 
1573.  etc.,  and  of  whom  we  shall  treat  in  detail 
later.  This  Robert  is  also  believed  to  be  the 
"  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Rora,"  from  whom  the 
Aberdeenshire  Arbuthnots  derive  their  descent. 
Robert,  brother  of  Lentusche,  was  certainly  one 
of  three  brothers  who  migrated  from  the  Mearns 
to  Aberdeenshire  in  the  sixteenth  century,  the 
other  two  being  James  himself  and  David  of  Long 
Seat,  Belhelvie.  Moir  certainly  states  that  John 
Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall  was  the  eldest  of  the  three 
original  settlers,  but  the  confusion  of  two  genera- 
tions is  not  an  unnatural  mistake  in  a  narrative 
based  on  family  traditions,  however  carefully 
preserved.  We  shall  prove  that  John  Arbuthnot  of 
Cairngall  was  the  eldest  son  of  James  of  Lentusche 

«  Arbuthnot  Papers  in  the  Advocates'  Library,  Edinburgh. 


88  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

— there  is  no  doubt  whatever  on  this  point — 
and  that  the  latter  was  settled  in  Aberdeenshire 
long  before  the  earliest  mention  of  his  son  John 
in  1584  (when,  with  his  father,  he  was  in  trouble 
in  connection  with  the  Angus  rebellion).  At 
that  date  John  was  described  as  "  apparent  of 
Lentusche,"  not  becoming  Laird  of  Cairngall  until 

1591- 
III.  John,  behaved  to  be  identical  with  John  Arbuthnot 
in  Ravenshaw,  parish  of  Garvock,  Kincardineshire, 
who    married    Isobel    Murray,    sister    of    James 
Murray  of  Polmais,  and  had  issue — 

(1)  James; 

(2)  John; 

(3)  Wilham; 

(4)  Robert     (believed    to    be     identical     with 

Robert,  afterwards  Provost  of  Montrose, 
who  recorded  his  arms  at  the  Lyon  Office 
in  1685,  claiming  descent  from  the  line 
of   Portertown  ")  ; 

(5)  George  ;   and 
(i)  Grizel. 

To  the  latter  he  left  goo  merks,  "  for  helping  of 
her  to  an  honest  marriage."  *  He  died  in  April, 
1595.  Among  debts  due  to  him  at  the  time  of  his 
death  are  mentioned  those  of  "  David  Arbuthnot 
in  Langset,  his  brother,"  Robert  Arbuthnot  in 
Fiddes  and  Mr.  Andrew  Arbuthnot,  his  son, 
"  James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche,  as  principal, 
and  John  Arbuthnot  in  Pottertoun,  his  son,  as 
cautioner,"  etc.  He  wills  that  his  wife,  Isobel 
Murray,  who  is  sole  executrix,  "  follow  the  advice 
of  his  chief,  Andro  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  James 
Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche,  Mr.  Andro  Arbuthnot, 
appearand  of  Lytill  Fuddes,"  etc. 

«  The  arms  were  :  "  Azure,  a  crescent  between  three  stars  argent,  all  within 
a  bordure  indented  and  quartered  of  the  second  and  first.  Crest,  a  dove  within 
an  adder,  disposed  orleways.  Motto  :  Innocue  ac  provide." — Burke's  Armoury, 
Arbuthnot  of  Montrose. 

*  Edinburgh  Commisariot.  Will  of  John  Arbuthnot  "in  Revinschaw," 
confirmed  27th  July,   1597. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE   89 

IV.  Alexander,  probably  identical  with  Alexander  Arbuth- 
not,  joint  printer  with  Thomas  Bassendyne  of  the 
Bassendyne  Bible  in  1579.  The  printer  was 
certainly  closely  connected  with  the  Forfarshire 
family,  James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche  and  other 
Forfarshire  gentlemen  acting  as  his  sureties  in 
the  transactions  preceding  the  publication  of 
the  first  Bible  printed  in  Scotland  in  the  vernacu- 
lar. Alexander  the  printer,  like  others  of  his 
family,  had  connections  with  Aberdeen.  In  1569 
Alexander  Arbuthnot,  burgess  of  Edinburgh,  gave 
sasine  of  some  land  in  Aberdeen  to  Robert 
Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk  and  Helen  Clephane.' 
In  1575  he  acquired  land  in  the  "  Gallowgate  " 
there,  resigned  by  Gilbert  Anderson.'  In  the 
same  year  he  and  his  wife,  Agnes  Pennycuik,  got 
sasine  of  land  in  the  "  Thiefraw,"  Aberdeen, 
resigned  by  Alexander  Anderson.'  He  was 
appointed  King's  printer  in  August,  1579.  He 
died  intestate  ist  September,  1585,  leaving  two 
printing  presses  with  fittings  and  household  goods 
valued  at  £106  13s.  46..,  with  a  debt  owing  to 
him  of  £8  17s.  He  was  survived  by  his  widow, 
Agnes  Pennycuik,  and  five  children — Thomas, 
George,  John,  Alison,  and  Agnes. 

V.  David,  beUeved  to  be  identical  with  David  Arbuthnot 
of  Long  Seat,  whom  we  find  witnessing  deeds 
in  1567-8  and  1573.  In  1584,  his  lands  of  Long 
Seat  were  seized  by  Thomas  Ker,  burgess  of 
Aberdeen,  who  was  put  to  the  horn  at  the  instance 
of  David  Arbuthnot  in  March  that  year.  David 
himself  was  at  the  horn  in  May. of  the  same  year, 
for  his  part  in  the  Angus  rebellion,  for  which  he 
received   a   remission    the    following   September." 

'  Aberdeen  Burgh  Register  of  Sasines. 

•  Aberdeen  Burgh  Court  Deeds. 

J  Aberdeen  Burgh  Register  of  Sasines.  In  1595  William  Arbuthnot,  "  burgess 
of  Aberdeen,  lawful  son  of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Ledintushe,"  gave  sasine  of  "a 
shop  in  the  Thiefraw  "  to  John  Sanders. 

4  Aberdeemhire  Homings. 


90  MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

In  January,  1585-6,  Thomas  Ker  was  still  at  the 
horn  for  not  delivering  up  the  lands  of  Overtoun 
and  Long  Seat,  in  the  Barony  of  Belhelvie,  to 
David  Arbuthnot  and  his  nephew,  John  Arbuth- 
not  (afterwards  of  Cairngall).  In  January,  1603, 
David  Arbuthnot  in  Long  Seat  brings  an  action 
against  certain  persons  "in  Pottertoun." '  He 
was  still  living  in  1607,  when  we  find  him  wit- 
nessing a  deed." 

We  have  now  to  deal  with  the  eldest  son,  James  Arbuthnot, 
and  his  long  and  varied  career,  and  must  be  pardoned  for 
dwelling  upon  him  at  very  considerable  length,  as  he  repre- 
sents a  most  important  link  between  the  Kincardineshire 
and  Aberdeenshire  families,  and  we  shall  hope  to  establish 
beyond  a  doubt  the  close  relationship  existing  between  the 
Arbuthnots  of  Cairngall  and  the  main  Kincardineshire  stem, 
and,  consequently,  between  the  Aberdeenshire  branch  in 
general  and  the  line  of  which  the  present  Viscount  Arbuthnott 
is  the  head. 

We  shall  call  the  reader's  attention  to  the  following 
points  : 

First,  that  John  Arbuthnot  of  Legasland  and  in  Portertown 
undoubtedly  had  an  eldest  son  named  James. 

Secondly,  we  shall  proceed  to  show  that  James  Arbuthnot 
of  Lentusche,  whose  parentage  is  nowhere  distinctly  stated, 
was  on  several  occasions  mentioned  as  "of  Portertown," 
and  that  his  eldest  son  John  (afterwards  of  Cairngall)  appears 
in  more  than  one  document  before  1591  as  "  of  Legasland." 

As  further  proof  of  the  near  relationship  between  the 
two  branches,  we  shall  have  occasion  to  cite  an  act  of  curatory 
appointed  for  the  last  Laird  of  Cairngall,  Alexander  Arbuthnot, 
in  1687,  in  which  Robert,  third  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  is  called 
as  one  of  the  next-of-kin. 

"  About  the  year  1560,"  writes  John  Moir  in  his  MS. 
account  of  the  family,  "  three  Brothers  of  the  family  of 
Arbuthnot  arrived  in  Buchan,  a  considerable  part  of  which 
was  then  under  the  paternal  sway  of  the  revered  family  of 

•  Aberdeen  Sheriff  Court  Books. 

•  Registers  of  the  Privy  Council,  vol.  iv.  p.  34. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE   91 

Marischal.  The  eldest  of  these  brothers,  by  name  John, 
purchased  the  lands  or  estate  of  Cairngall,  in  the  parish  of 
Longside,  which  his  descendants  possessed  for  nearly  200 
years,"  etc.  Although  we  shall  show  that  John  Moir  was 
mistaken  as  to  the  identity  of  the  three  brothers  who  first 
settled  in  Buchan,  and  that  John  of  Cairngall  belonged  to 
the  second  generation  settled  there,  yet  his  work  is  so  entirely 
indispensable  to  our  studies,  and  our  obligations  to  his  careful 
and  laborious  researches  are  so  manifest,  and  we  shall  so 
often  have  occasion  to  rely  for  our  facts  on  his  History — the 
original  manuscript  of  which  the  present  writer  was  privileged 
to  consult— that  it  seems  desirable  to  pause  here  and  examine 
Moir's  credentials  before  going  further.  In  his  preface, 
writing  of  himself,  he  says  :  "  The  Compiler  of  the  following 
brief  sketches  being  at  Peterhead  on  a  visit  to  his  father  in  the 
year  1809  and  anxious  to  preserve  a  memorial  of  a  race  of  men 
humble  and  unassuming  indeed,  but  eminently  distinguished 
by  every  peaceful  and  mild  virtue  that  can  adorn  humanity, 
wrote  down,  under  his  father's  eye,  the  principal  facts  con- 
tained in  the  following  pages,  and  afterwards  filled  up  the 
outline  at  his  leisure.  His  informant  was  then  in  his  78th 
year,  but  possessing  an  uncommon  degree  of  bodily  and  mental 
vigour.  His  memory  had  always  been  remarkably  retentive, 
and  stored  with  anecdotes  of  almost  every  respectable  family 
in  Aberdeenshire.  But,  not  trusting  entirely  to  the  memory 
of  one  man,  these  sketches  were  also  submitted  to  the  inspec- 
tion of  several  old  persons  of  the  name  of  Arbuthnot  then 
living  in  Peterhead,  and  received  the  sanction  of  their 
approbation.  They  may,  therefore,  be  said  to  possess  as  great 
a  degree  of  authenticity  as  uniform  tradition  can  confer. 

"  It  may  not,  however,  be  improper  to  state  here  the 
means  of  information  possessed  by  the  compiler's  father 
to  enable  him  to  communicate,  with  so  much  certainty,  facts 
that  took  place  nearly  200  years  before  his  own  time. 

"Mr.  John  Moir,  senior,  was  born  about  the  year  1730, 
when  genealogy  was  a  very  prevailing  study  amongst  many 
of  the  inhabitants  of  Aberdeenshire,  as  well  as  amongst  the 
Highlanders ;  and  he  had  an  opportunity  of  conversing 
several  years  with  his  grand-aunt,  Janet  Arbuthnot  (p.  152), 
a   most   inteUigent    and    well-informed    woman,    the    cousin- 


92  MEMORIES    OF   THE   ARBUTHNOTS 

german  of  Dr.  Arbuthnot,  and  grand-daughter  of  Robert 
Arbuthnot  and  Beatrix  Gordon.  From  her  grandfather  she 
received  many  particulars  relative  to  the  three  Brothers  who 
first  emigrated  from  the  Mearns  to  Buchan,  her  grandfather 
being  grandson  to  Robert,  the  second  of  these  three  Brothers. 

"  This  was  not  the  only  caiisa  scientice  possessed  by  our 
informant.  He  had  married  Mary  Arbuthnot,  a  woman  of 
no  common  mind,  and  to  whom  researches  of  this  kind  were 
a  favourite  study. 

"  She  was  daughter  of  Mr.  James  Arbuthnot  of  Westa 
Rora  (p.  252),  one  of  the  most  amiable  and  accomplished  men 
of  his  time.  He  was  only  the  fourth  in  descent  from 
Alexander,  the  youngest  of  the  above  three  Brothers,  and  he 
could  thus,  by  a  very  simple  process,  reach  to  their  time 
by  the  intervention  of  only  two  competent  witnesses,"  etc. 

It  will  be  seen,  then,  that  our  chain  of  witnesses  starts 
with  Mary  Arbuthnot,  is  fortified  by  her  distant  cousin, 
Janet  (whose  information  came  from  Robert  Arbuthnot  of 
Scotsmill  himself),  and  has  been  preserved  for  us  by  the 
devotion  and  industry  of  John  Moir,  junior,  himself  maternally 
descended  from  the  Arbuthnot  family. 

Mary  and  Janet  Arbuthnot,  then,  may  be  said  to  have 
laid  the  foundations  of  this  history,  so  far  as  it  is  based  on 
John  Moir's  account,  and  the  present  writer  has  merely  done 
her  best  to  bring  together  all  the  supplementary  facts  it  has 
been  possible  to  collect,  either  from  private  papers  or  from 
pubUc  archives,  and  sincerely  hopes  that  the  result  may  be 
of  interest  to  the  limited  pubhc  who  care  for  such  things,  as 
well  as  to  those  members  of  the  Arbuthnot  family,  to  whom 
it  should  in  some  degree  appeal  as  concerning  their  own 
ancestors  of  long  ago. 

We  must  return  to  James  Arbuthnot,  eldest  son  of  John 
Arbuthnot  of  Legasland  and  Portertown,  and  afterwards 
of  Lentusche. 

We  have  referred  to  what  is  the  first  notice  of  him  yet 
found,  namely,  the  mention  of  him  in  connection  with  the 
inventory  of  the  goods  of  Christian  Keith,  taken  at  "  the 
place  of  Arbuthnot  "  in  the  presence  of  James  and  others  on 
I2th  July,  1553.  He  was  present  with  his  mother,  and  was 
probably  quite  a  young  man  or  a  boy  at  this  time. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE   93 

To  the  laborious  researches  undertaken  for  me  in  Edin- 
burgh by  Mr.  Henry  Paton  we  owe  the  practical  certainty 
that  a  certain  "  James  Arbuthnot  of  Elpitie,"  who  was  also 
"  of  Newbigging  "  (Forfarshire),  and  is  mentioned  in  several 
contemporary  documents,  was  identical  with  James  Arbuthnot 
of  Lentusche,  who  seems  to  have  owned  or  occupied  so  many 
different  lands  that  one  is  quite  bewildered  by  his  truly 
kaleidoscopic  career.  Elpitie — or  Alpity,  as  it  is  now  called 
— was  a  holding  on  the  Arbuthnot  estate,  and  is  doubtless 
not  far  from  Portertown,  which  was  certainly  occupied  by 
James,  who  would  appear  to  have  feued  the  two  estates  from 
the  head  of  the  family.  Mr.  Paton  is  definitely  of  opinion 
that  the  two  James'  are  identical,  and  I  shall  now  sift  the 
evidence  for  this  conclusion  in  detail  and  trace  out,  as 
far  as  is  possible,  the  life-history  of  James  Arbuthnot  of 
Lentusche. 

We  find  "  James  Arbuthnot  of  Elpitie "  mentioned  in 
the  year  1564,  when  a  charter  of  Patrick,  Bishop  of  Murray, 
is  confirmed  to  him  of  the  lands  of  "  Easter  Innergowrie 
alias  Newbigging."  These  lands  are  granted  to  him  and 
"  Christine  Culles,  his  wife,  their  heirs  and  assignees,"  etc' 
The  following  year  we  find  a  Precept  for  Confirmation  of  the 
same  charter  to  James  and  his  wife  "  Christian  CuUace." ' 
In  July,  1565,  James  Arbuthnot,  believed  to  be  the  same 
person,  is  mentioned  as  being  Collector  of  Cess  for  Angus 
and  Mearns,  and  is  said  to  be  "  son  of  John  Arbuthnot 
of  Leggistide."  No  such  place  as  Leggistide  being  known 
either  in  Angus  or  elsewhere,  it  is  beheved  by  Mr.  Paton 
and  other  competent  authorities  that  Legasland  in  Angus 
must  be  intended,  and  a  reference  to  the  Scots  Peerage  will 
show  that  the  writer  of  the  Arbuthnott  article  has  thus 
understood  it. 2 

On  2nd  November,  1566,  James  Arbuthnot  "  of  Newbig- 
ging "  was  admitted  burgess  of  Aberdeen,  and  after  this  date 
is  frequently  mentioned  simply  as  "  James  Arbuthnot, 
burgess  of  Aberdeen." 

On  30th,  November,  the  same  year,   "James  Arbuthnot 

'  Accounts  of  the  Lord  High  Treasure?,  vol.  xi.  p.  319. 

•  Privy  Seal,  vol.  33. 

s  Scots  Peerage,  Corrigenda,  vol,  ix,  p.  15. 


94  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

of  Newbigging,  burgess  of  Aberdeen,"  got  sasine  of  some 
salmon  fishing  on  the  Don.' 

On  3rd  February,  1566-7,  "  James  Arbuthnot,  burgess 
of  Aberdeen,  and  Christian  CoUace  his  spouse  "  got  sasine 
of  certain  inner  land  on  the  south  side  of  the  close  of  a  tene- 
ment in  the  Castlegate,  resigned  in  their  favour  by  Mr.  Thomas 
Menzies  of  Dome.  On  this  occasion  James's  brother  Robert 
acted  as  "  procurator  for  the  said  Christian  CoUace."  ' 

In  1568  "  James  Arbuthnot,  merchant  of  Aberdeen," 
rented  three  quarters  of  the  town  and  lands  of  Logydurno 
(now  called  Chapel  of  Garioch)  from  William  LesHe  of  Balqu- 
haine.3  In  connection  with  this  it  should  be  noted  that 
James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche  was  certainly,  at  some  time 
in  his  career,  the  husband  of  Isobel  LesUe,  daughter  to  the 
above  Laird  of  Balquhaine.  She  was  probably  his  second 
wife." 

On  6th  March,  1567-8,  Patrick  Leslie,  burgess  of  Aberdeen, 
resigned  his  half  net's  fishing  "  in  the  furds  on  the  Water  of 
Dee  "  to  "  James  Arbuthnot  of  Newbigging,"  a  witness  being 
"  David  Arbuthnot "  (doubtless  James's  brother,  David  of 
Long  Seat,  Belhelvie).  The  same  day  Patrick  Leslie  also 
resigned  his  rights  in  "  the  other  half  net's  fishing  "  to  William 
Arbuthnot,  "  second  lawful  son  of  the  said  James  Arbuthnot 
of  Newbigging,  burgess  of  Aberdeen."  In  this  case  James 
acted  as  procurator  and  David  Arbuthnot  was  witness. 
Infeftment  took  place  on  loth  March,  when  David  Arbuthnot, 
"  father's  brother  to  the  said  William,"  acted  as  procurator.s 

On  18th  April,  1569,  William  Arbuthnot,  "  second  son  of 
James  Arbuthnot  of  Elpitie,"  was  admitted  burgess  of  Aber- 
deen.* We  must  take  it,  therefore,  that  James's  sons  had 
now  reached  manhood.    We  are  not  told  the  eldest  son's 

•  Aberdeen  Burgh  Register  of  Sasines. 
'  Ibid. 

3  Historieal  Records  of  the  Family  of  Leslie,  by  Colonel  Leslie  of  Balquhaiu, 
1869,  vol.  iii.  p.  46. 

4  It  has  been  found  impossible  to  establish  at  what  date  James  Arbuthnot 
married  Isobel  Leslie.  Her  sister,  Jean,  was  not  married  until  1588,  and  Isobel, 
according  to  Colonel  Leslie,  was  the  youngest  daughter  of  William  Leslie.  On 
the  other  hand,  Isobel  was  certainly  dead  before  1587,  in  which  year  there  is 
mention  of  James's  third  wife,  Grizel  Leslie,  who  survived  him. 

I  Aberdeen  Burgh  Register  of  Sasines. 

'  Aberdeen  Burgess  Roll,  Spalding  Club  Miscellany,  vol.  i. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE   95 

name  at  this  point,  but  we  presume  it  to  have  been  John, 
afterwards  of  Cairngall. 

In  May,  1569,  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk  and  Helen 
Clephane,  his  spouse,  and  James  Arbuthnot,  their  lawful  son, 
got  sasine  of  part  of  the  lands  of  Boighill  and  its  mill,  dis- 
poned to  them  by  William  Menzies,  burgess  of  Aberdeen. 
"James  Arbuthnot,  burgess  of. Aberdeen,"  acted  as  attorney 
to  Robert,  who  would  be  his  third  cousin.  "  Alexander 
Arbuthnot,  burgess  of  Edinburgh  "  (doubtless  the  printer  of 
the  Bassendyne  Bible),  was  directed  to  give  sasine.' 

We  now  come  to  the  period  when  James  Arbuthnot  is 
found  occupying  the  lands  of  Lentusche,  in  the  parish  of 
Rayne,  Aberdeenshire,  and  it  will  be  convenient  here  to 
trace  the  succession  to  that  estate  and  James's  connection 
with  it  during  the  remainder  of  his  life,  returning  later  to  take 
up  the  narration  of  other  episodes  in  his  eventful  career. 

In  1559-60  Lentusche  had  been  granted  to  John  Leslie 
of  Balquhaine  by  William,  Bishop  of  Aberdeen.  In  1564-5 
the  sunny  third  of  the  lands  was  divided  between  three 
TuUydeff  sisters,  Janet,  Marjorie,  and  Christian,  and  their 
respective  husbands,  they  being  the  daughters  of  Andrew 
TuUydeff  of  that  Ilk.  Lentusche  had  many  years  earher 
been  in  possession  of  this  family,  for  among  those  slain  at 
the  Battle  of  Harlow  in  141 1  was  one  William  TuUydeff,  Laird 
of  Lentusche. 

Probably  a  little  later  than  this,  Lentusche  passed  into 
the  possession  of  a  certain  George  Leslie,  a  natural  son  of 
George  Leshe,  first  Laird  of  Aikenway.  How  long  he  held 
it  is  not  known,  but  it  passed  from  him  to  James  Arbuthnot, 
who,  some  years  later,  is  described  as  "  assignee  of  George 
Leslie  of  Lentusche."  ' 

In  1573  we  come  on'  the  first  mention  of  James  Arbuthnot 
as  "of  Lentusche,"  in  a  Premonition  dated  29th  September 
that  year,  in  presence  of  "  Robert  Arbuthnot,  father's  brother 
and  tutor  to  Thomas  Arbuthnot,  lawful  son  of  James  Arbuthnot 
of  Lentusche,  made  by  the  said  James  Arbuthnot's  procurator 
to  the  said  Robert  Arbuthnot  as  tutor  foresaid  to  compear 
and  see  consignation  made  of  an  angel  noble  for  redemption 

I  Aberdeen  Burgh  Register  of  Sasines. 
•  Register  of  Acts  and  Decreets,  vol.  ii6. 


96  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

from  the  said  Thomas  of  a  croft  on  the  west  side  of  the  Crofts 
of  Aberdeen,  lying  at  the  Craibstone,  disponed  by  the  said 
James  Arbuthnot  to  the  said  Thomas."  ' 

James  Arbuthnot,  then,  was  certainly  estabhshed  at 
Lentusche  some  time  between  the  years  1564-5  and  1573, 
and  in  1585  he  held  "  the  sunny  third  part  of  the  town  and 
lands  of  Ledintusche  in  the  parish  of  Rayne  "  from  William, 
Bishop  of  Aberdeen.' 

By  1587  James  Arbuthnot  had  come  into  possession  of 
the  other  two-thirds  of  the  lands,  for  on  loth  January  of 
that  year  there  is  "  Precept  for  a  charter  of  feu  farm  by  the 
King  to  James  Arbuthnot  in  Lentusche,  of  the  lands  of 
Lentusche  extending  to  three  ploughs  of  land  lying  in  the 
parish  of  Rayne,  formerly  belonging  to  the  bishopric  of 
Aberdeen  and  now  annexed  to  the  crown."  In  this  charter 
James's  third  wife,  Grizel  Leslie,  is  mentioned,  Lentusche 
being  entailed  on  his  issue  by  her,  failing  whom,  on  his  nearest 
lawful  heirs.' 

At  this  time  James  Arbuthnot  was  on  the  worst  of  terms 
with  his  brother-in-law,  William  Leslie  of  Civilie,  second  son 
of  WilUam  Leshe  of  Balquhaine,  the  subject  of  dispute 
appearing  to  be  the  lands  of  Lentusche.  On  loth  February, 
1587.  we  come  on  the  following  entry  : 

"  Gift  to  John  Arbuthnot,  son  and  apparent  heir  of  James 
Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche,  of  the  escheat  of  Mr.  WiUiam  Leslie, 
who  is  at  the  horn  for  not  finding  caution  and  lawburrows 
for  the  safety  of  the  said  James  Arbuthnot."  ■• 

On  7th  February,  1587-8,  James  Arbuthnot  brought  a 
complaint  against  Wilham  Leshe  "  touching  the  ejection  of 
the  said  James,  his  daughter  and  servants  from  the  lands 
and  houses  of  Lentusche,  and  intromission  with  the  writs 
and  goods  therein."  5  The  Lords  commanded  WiUiam  Leshe 
to  find  caution  in  ;£2,ooo  within  twenty-four  hours  that  "  the 

I  Aberdeen  Burgh  Register  of  Sasines. 

'  "  Precept  for  a  charter  confirming  a  charter  of  feu  farm  by  the  deceased 
William,  Bishop  of  Aberdeen,  with  consent  of  his  dean  and  chapter  to  James 
Arbuthnot,  burgess  of  Aberdeen,  etc.,  1585." — Register  of  the  Privy  Seal,  vol.  53. 

I  Register  of  the  Privy  Seal,  vol.  56. 

4  Ibid.,  vol.  57. 

i  Registers  of  the  Privy  Council,  vol,  iv,  p.  250. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE   97 

said  James,  his  bairns,  tenants  and  servants,  shall  be  harmless 
of  him."  A  day  or  two  later,  nth  February,  Alexander  Lord 
Hume  and  John  Gordon  of  Buckie  became  cautioners  in 
the  above  sum  for  the  good  behaviour  of  William  Leshe. 
It  seems,  however,  that  Leslie  was  less  prompt  in  restoring 
the  property,  for,  on  12th  February,  James  brought  an  action 
against  several  persons,  including  William  Leslie,  his  brother- 
in-law,  George  Leslie,  apparent  of  Kincraigie,  and  a  certain 
Alexander  Jaffray,  charging  them  with  being  "  havers,  de- 
tainers and  withholders  of  the  tower  and  fortalice  of  Len- 
tusche,"  and  calling  upon  them  to  "  render  the  same  to  him." 
From  this  entry  we  understand  that  there  was  once  a  fortified 
house  or  castle  at  Lentusche,  though  it  is  impossible  now  to 
locate  the  site  of  it. 

On  i6th  February  Alexander  Jaffray  retorted  by  bringing 
an  action  against  James  for  "  withholding  from  the  said 
Alexander  of  eight  oxgate  of  land  of  the  lands  of  Lentush, 
called  the  Meikle  plough "...  and  intromitting  with  the 
profits  thereof."  ' 

In  1588  this  quarrel  was  still  dragging  on,  for  we  come 
on  an  "  Action  at  the  instance  of  James  Arbuthnot  in  Lentush 
as  assignee  to  the  deceased  George  Leslie,  portioner  of  Lentush, 
disponer  of  the  middle  plough  of  the  town  and  lands  of 
Lentush  to  the  deceased  Alexander  Jaffray  under  reversion, 
against  Alexander  Jaffray,  burgess  of  Aberdeen,  for  not 
making  renunciation  of  the  said  lands."  James  Arbuthnot 
won  his  case,  the  Lords  finding  "  the  lands  lawfully  redeemed 
by  the  said  James  Arbuthnot  on  5th  August,  1587,  he  giving 
warning  and  premonition  to  the  party  by  John  Arbuthnot 
his  son,  as  procurator,  and  consigning  the  money  in  the  office 
of  the  sheriff  clerk  at  Aberdeen,  being  £130  Scots."  ' 

On  15th  January,  1591-2,  WiUiam  Leslie  of  Civihe 
(brother  of  James's  deceased  wife,  Isobel  Leshe)  obtained 
from  the  King  a  grant  in  feu  farm  of  the  sunny,  middle,  and 
shadow  ploughs  of  Lentusche,  which  had  perhaps  escheated 
to  the  Crown  through  some  misdemeanour  of  James.  In 
1594  John  Leith  in  Luesk  obtained  some  rights  over  it,  and 

1  Middle  plough  is  probably  meant. 

2  Register  of  Acts  and  Decreets,  vol.  114. 

3  Ibid.,  vol.   116. 

7 


98  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

in  1597-8  William  Leslie  once  more  got  a  grant  in  feu  farm 
of  Bonytown,  Luesk,  and  the  third  part  of  Lentusche,  together 
with  various  other  lands." 

In  1600  a  contract  was  registered  whereby  William  Leslie 
sold  to  John  Arbuthnot  "  of  Carnegaw "  for  £1,000  Scots 
his  "  town  and  lands  of  Leddintusche,  extending  to  three 
ploughs  of  land  with  houses  and  pertinents,"  etc.* 

In  1601  James  Arbuthnot  was  once  more  in  possession 
of  Lentusche,  for  on  9th  May  in  that  year,  by  a  charter  signed 
at  Lentusche,  he  made  over  his  rights  in  the  shadow  and 
sunny  plough  to  his  son  James,  reserving  to  himself  and 
Grizel  Leslie  "  their  hferent  of  the  said  sunny  half." 

On  8th  April,  1607,  a  contract  was  signed  between  John 
Gordon  of  Tilligreig  (who  was  the  husband  of  Helen 
Arbuthnot,  daughter  of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche)  on 
the  one  part  and  "  James  Arbuthnot,  younger,  fiar  of 
Lentusche,  John  Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall,  his  brother,  with 
consent  of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Portertown,  their  father,  for 
his  right  and  interest,"  on  the  other,  whereby  they  "  grant 
the  shadow  half  of  the  said  town  of  Lentush  to  be  redeemed 
for  1,800  merks  by  the  said  John  Gordon,"  etc. 

The  same  day  John  Gordon  got  sasine  of  the  lands,  on 
a  charter  dated  at  Aberdeen  and  Portertown,  ist  April  and 
4th  April,  1607,  reserving  to  "  the  said  James  Arbuthnot, 
elder,  his  liferent  of  the  sunny  half  thereof."  ' 

Two  months  later  Mr.  Wilham  Gordon  of  Drumnethie 
(perhaps  a  son  of  the  above  John  Gordon)  got  sasine  of  the 
lands  of  Lentusche,  "  with  manor-place,  orchards,  yards, 
the  Cokmure,"  etc.,  reserving  as  before  "  to  James  Arbuthnot, 
elder,  sometime  of  Ledingtushe,  his  liferent  of  the  sunny 
half  thereof."  ■• 

1  Registrum  Magni  Sigilli  Regum  Scolorum,  vol.  vi.  No.  672. 

2  Aberdeenshire  Register  of  Deeds,  vol.  76.  The  document  proceeds  as  follows  : 
"  And  forasmuch  as  Alexander  Jaffray,  burgess  of  Aberdeen,  obtained  decreet 
of  removing  before  the  sheriff  of  Aberdeen  in  159.,  against  James  Arbuthnot  of 
Leddintusche,  to  remove  from  the  middle  plough  of  the  said  town  and  lands  of 
Leddintusche,  and  thereafter  assigned  the  said  decreet  to  the  said  Mr.  William 
Leslie,  therefore  the  latter  discharges  the  said  John  Arbuthnot  thereof.  He  also 
assigns  to  the  said  John  Arbuthnot  all  sums  of  money  and  goods  falling  to  him 
as  executor  dative  to  the  deceased  Isobel  Leslie,  his  sister,  spouse  in  her  time 
to  James  Arbuthnot  of  Leddintusche." 

3  Aberdeenshire  Sasines,  vol.  vi.  *  Ibid. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE   99 

This  brings  to  an  end  the  Arbuthnot  connection  with 
Lentusche,  which  now  forms  part  of  the  estate  of  Mr.  Forbes- 
Gordon  of  Rayne.  There  is  nothing  to  be  seen  there  now 
but  a  few  fields,  some  trees,  and  a  cottage  or  two.  The 
"  fortahce  "  has  disappeared,  and  the  Arbuthnot  occupation 
of  the  lands  was  recently  not  even  a  memory,  for  it  was  quite 
unsuspected  until  the  late  investigations  revealed  the  fact 
that  Lentusche  was  not,  as  had  been  supposed,  in  Kincardine- 
shire, but  in  the  parish  of  Rayne,  Aberdeenshire,  only  two 
miles  from  Warthill.' 

So  far  we  have  followed  up  the  transactions  relating  to 
the  estate  of  Lentusche,  out  of  their  proper  sequence,  with 
the  object  of  presenting  to  the  reader  a  connected  account. 
We  must  now  retrace  our  steps  and  follow  up  such  records 
of  James  Arbuthnot's  career  as  are  to  be  found  in  various 
documents  of  the  period. 

On  loth  April,  1570,  we  find  registration  of  contract 
dated  at  Aberdeen,  "  between  David  Mar,  burgess  of  Aberdeen, 
and  James  Arbuthnot,  burgess  thereof,  whereby  for  221  merks 
the  said  David  Mar  obhges  himself  to  infeft  the  said  James 
Arbuthnot  in  his  tenement  of  land  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Castlegate  of  Aberdeen,  under  reversion." 

In  July,  the  same  year,  "  James  Arbuthnot,  burgess  of 
Aberdeen,"  gave  sasine  to  "  Thomas  Arbuthnot,  his  third 
lawful  son,"  of  his  crofts  on  the  south  side  of  the  Crofts  of 
Aberdeen." 

On  29th  September,  1573,  James  redeemed  this  land 
from  his  son  Thomas,  calling  on  his  own  brother,  Robert — who 
acted  as  "  tutor  "  to  Thomas — to  see  consignation  made  of 
an  angel  noble  "  for  the  redemption  from  the  said  Thomas 
of  a  croft  on  the  west  side  of  the  crofts  of  Aberdeen,  disponed 
by  James  to  the  said  Thomas."  3 

In  1572-3  we  find  the  name  of  "  Lieutenant  James 
Arbuthnot  "  among  a  list  of  persons  included  in  the  remission 

I  It  is  a  curious  coincidence  that,  through  the  marriage  of  Miss  Mary  Rose 
Leslie,  heiress  of  Warthill,  to  George  Arbuthnot  of  Elderslie  in  1875,  the  Arbuth- 
nots  have  returned  to  the  parish  of  Rayne,  after  an  absence  of  over  two  centuries. 
As  far  as  Aberdeenshire  is  concerned,  the  family  is  now  solely  represented  in  the 
male  line  by  Mr.  WiHiam  Arbuthnot-Leslie  of  Warthill. 

>  Aberdeen  Burgh  Register  of  Sasines. 

i  Ibid. 


100  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

to  the  Earl  of  Huntly  and  the  Hamiltons  for  their  adherence 
to  the  cause  of  Mary  Stuart.  That  cause  was  now  irretriev- 
ably lost,  receiving  its  death-blow  in  the  fall  of  Edinburgh 
Castle,  29th  May,  1573.  Lieutenant  James  Arbuthnot  is 
named  in  a  list  of  "  capitanis  of  men  of  weare  underwrittin," 
where  we  find  mention  of  "  Capitane  Thomas  Ker,  James 
Arbuthnot,  his  Lieutenant."  If  we  are  right  in  supposing 
this  to  be  James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche — and  this  seems 
probable  from  the  fact  that  his  name  frequently  comes  up 
later  in  connection  with  that  of  Thomas  Ker ' — then  we  must 
conclude  that  at  the  commencement  of  his  career  James  had 
thrown  in  his  lot  with  the  Queen's  party.  Later  we  shall 
find  him  consistently  supporting  the  opposite  faction. 

On  nth  May,  1574,  there  is  Registration  of  Contract 
dated  at  Aberdeen,  between  "James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentushe  " 
and  George  Straquhyne,  burgess  of  Aberdeen,  whereby 
Arbuthnot  sells  to  Straquhyne  his  croft  in  the  west  territory 
of  the  Crofts  of  Aberdeen  for  440  merks,  "  and  because  Thomas 
Arbuthnot,  son  of  the  said  James,  was  infeft  in  the  said 
croft  under  reversion,  the  said  James  obliges  himself  to 
recover  a  decreet  before  the  Lords  of  Council,  decerning  the 
said  croft  to  be  lawfully  redeemed  from  the  said  Thomas. 

In  1576  James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche  was  one  of  the 
sureties  for  the  printing  of  the  Bassendyne  Bible,  the  first 
Bible  to  be  printed  in  Scotland  in  the  vernacular.  As  we 
have  already  remarked  (p.  89),  all  the  other  sureties  were 
Forfarshire  gentlemen.  (James,  it  will  be  remembered,  was 
eldest  son  of  John  Arbuthnot  of  Legasland,  in  Forfarshire.) 

In  1578-9  we  find  the  somewhat  ubiquitous  and  surprising 
James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche  mentioned  as  Chamberlain 
to  John,  eighth  Lord  Glamis,  Chancellor  of  Scotland.  After 
the  death  of  Lord  Glamis  in  a  fray  at  Stirling  in  1578,  his 

I  Although  on  all  later  occasions  the  two  men  are  found  at  variance  with 
one  another.  For  instance,  in  April,  1585,  "  Captain  Thomas  Ker  "  was  relaxed 
from  horning,  he  having  been  outlawed  for  "  keeping  and  detaining  the  mansion 
and  houses  of  Long  Seat,"  which  were  the  property  of  the  Arbuthnots,  in  the 
Barony  of  Belhelvie.  In  June,  1585,  Captain  Thomas  Ker,  with  William  Keith, 
valet  of  the  King's  Chamber,  got  the  escheat  of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche, 
who  was  then  at  the  horn  for  the  murder  of  Andrew  Symsone.  In  November, 
the  same  year,  Thomas  Ker  was  again  put  to  the  horn  for  wrongful  occupation 
of  the  above  lands,  the  Master  of  Glamis  supporting  the  Arbuthnot  claim,  and 
was  forced  to  vacate  them. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  101 

Chamberlain  was  proceeded  against  by  certain  burgesses  of 
Edinburgh — Harry  Smith  and  Wilham  Maull — "  for  dehvery 
of  certain  victual  contained  in  the  chancellor's  precept  to  his 
said  chamberlain."  James  was  at  some  time  in  this  year 
imprisoned  in  the  Tolbooth  at  Edinburgh  at  the  instance  of 
Smith  and  Maull." 

The  trouble  occasioned  to  James  by  the  death  of  Lord 
Glamis  seems  to  have  lasted  on  into  1580,  when  Janet  Fockart, 
widow  of  James  Hathowy,  brought  an  action  against  "  James 
Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche  "  for  payment  of  £310  (as  the 
balance  of  a  greater  sum)  "  due  for  merchandise  purchased 
on  7th  March,  1577,  for  the  use  of  the  deceased  John,  Lord 
Glamis,  Chancellor  of  Scotland." 

It  is  probable  that  during  the  minority  of  the  young 
Lord  Glamis,  who  was  only  four  years  old  at  the  time  of  his 
father's  death,  James  Arbuthnot  was  continued  in  the  office 
of  Chamberlain  by  the  infant's  guardian,  Thomas  Lyon, 
known  as  the  Master  of  Glamis.  In  1592  James  Arbuthnot 
was  present  at  Glamis  and  signed  as  witness  to  a  deed  by 
which  the  Master  of  Glamis  sold  some  land  to  Mr.  James 
Fotheringham,  rector  of  Balumbie.  On  Lord  Glamis's  attain- 
ing his  majority,  he  proceeded  to  inquire  into  the  management 
of  his  estates  during  his  infancy,  when  it  became  clear  that 
the  Master  had  conducted  matters  in  a  by  no  means  disinter- 
ested manner.  It  is  possible  that  in  the  ensuing  controversies 
James  Arbuthnot,  as  Chamberlain,  may  have  been  involved. 
Certainly,  Patrick  Lord  Glamis  displayed  later  an  implacable 
hatred  towards  the  Arbuthnots,  several  of  whom  (including 
James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche,  his  son  John  of  Cairngall, 
and  his  brother  David)  were  his  tenants  on  his  Aberdeenshire 
property  in  Belhelvie  parish.  We  shall  find  him  presently 
making  strenuous  efforts  to  eject  them  from  their  holdings, 
and  appearing  as  the  moving  spirit  in  a  tragedy  the  causes 
of  which  are  rather  obscure. 

In  1579  James  Arbuthnot,  who  seems  to  have  shared  the 
fierce  manners  of  those  times,  was  concerned  in  the  murder 
of  Andrew  Symsone,  son  of  James  Symsone,  a  resident  in 
Long  Seat,  Belhelvie.  In  the  subsequent  indictment  it  is 
recited  that  he  "  with  his  accomplices,  armed,  assailed  the 

»  Acls  and  Decreets,  vol    73. 


102  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

said  deceased  Andrew  Symsone  on  the  highway,  in  June 
1579,  3-t  Meirburn,  and  wounded  him  and  carried  him  to  the 
place  of  Ardoch,  where  they  kept  him  in  the  stocks  for  48 
hours,  whereupon  ensued  a  fatal  illness,  and  they  would  not 
suffer  him  to  be  at  liberty  until  his  father,  the  said  James 
Symsone,  renounced  his  tack  of  the  lands  of  Long  Seat  and 
put  the  said  James  Arbuthnot  in  possession.  The  said  Andrew 
Symsone  died  in  June,  1580,  after  a  year's  illness  on  that 
account."  •  We  shall  see  that  some  years  later  James  was 
called  to  account  for  this  outrage,  but  for  the  present,  and 
doubtless  with  the  tacit  consent  of  the  Master  of  Glamis,  his 
patron,  he  got  possession  of  the  Symsone  estates  in  Belhelvie 
parish. 

In  1581-2  some  trouble  arose  with  regard  to  the  Bassendyne 
Bibles  which  Alexander  Arbuthnot  the  printer  and  Thomas 
Bassendyne  (now  deceased)  had  undertaken  to  deliver  by  a 
certain  date  to  every  parish  that  had  advanced  money  for 
the  purpose.  This  contract  had  not  been  carried  out,  and 
James  of  Lentusche,  as  one  of  the  sureties,  found  himself 
answerable  for  this  dereliction.  Letters  of  horning  were 
raised  against  him  and  the  other  sureties  on  gth  January, 
at  the  instance  of  Archibald  Douglas,  Messenger  in  Old 
Aberdeen,  but  they  successfully  appealed  against  the  validity 
of  these  letters,  stating  that  Douglas  "  is  only  commis- 
sioner for  the  Bishops,  superintendants  and  visitors  of  the 
diocese  of  Aberdeen,  to  whom  they  are  not  bound."  The 
matter  did  not  end  here,  for  after  the  death  of  Alexander 
Arbuthnot  the  sureties  had  further  trouble  over  this 
matter. 

On  2nd  June,  1582,  "  James  Arbuthnot  of  Ledintushe  " 
redeemed  a  tenement  and  yard  in  the  Castlegate,  Aberdeen, 
on  behalf  of  William  Arbuthnot  his  son.'  On  the  14th  of 
the  same  month  William  Arbuthnot,  "  with  consent  of  his 
said  father  and  administrator,  acknowledges  a  tenement  ol 
land  in  the  Castlegate,  lawfully  redeemed  by  Mr.  Menzies 
of  Dorn  for  340  merks."  3 

'  Aberdeenshire  Homings. 

'  Aberdeen  Burgh  Register  of  Sasines. 

3  Aberdeen  Burgh  Court  Deeds.  See  p.  94,  where  it  will  be  seen  that  six- 
teen years  earher  William  Menzies  had  resigned  this  tenement  in  favour  of  James 
Arbuthnot,  "  of  Newbigging,"  and  Christian  CoUace. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  103 

We  now  come  to  the  part  taken  by  James  Arbuthnot  of 
Lentusche  in  the  Earl  of  Angus's  rebellion,  and  it  is  necessary 
to  take  a  brief  glance  at  the  position  of  affairs  in  Scotland 
in  the  early  part  of  the  reign  of  James  VI.  As  in  the  brief 
personal  reign  of  Mary  Stuart,  plots  and  counter-plots  dis- 
tracted the  kingdom,  while  the  foreign  agents  of  Elizabeth 
and  of  France  strove  to  outbid  one  another,  rendering  peace 
in  Scotland  impossible.  We  find  two  violently  antagonistic 
parties  ranged  against  one  another — on  one  side  the  party 
(supported  by  the  Kirk)  that  favoured  friendship  with  England, 
and  on  the  other  that  which  preferred  the  traditional  French 
alliance,  and  asked  nothing  better  than  to  indulge  their 
hereditary  hostility  towards  "  the  auld  enemy."  To  the  latter 
party  one  may  well  suppose  the  younger  and  more  hot-headed 
men  would  be  inclined,  while  the  older,  wiser,  level-headed 
councillors,  who  had  a  sober  regard  to  policy  and  expediency, 
or  a  wholesome  fear  of  their  powerful  neighbour,  were  staunch 
for  a  solid  understanding  with  England.  The  young  King 
had  been  brought  up  under  a  system  of  morose  severity  by 
the  "  English  "  party,  headed  by  the  Regent  Morton,  but 
we  find  in  James  no  sign  of  restlessness,  resentment,  or  dis- 
satisfaction with  his  surroundings  until  the  arrival  in  Scotland 
in  September,  1579,  of  liis  brilliant  and  fascinating  kinsman, 
Esme  Stuart,  Count  d'Aubigny.  This  nobleman,  arriving 
ostensibly  on  a  harmless  visit  of  friendship,  was  in  reality 
charged  with  a  political  mission  of  deepest  import,  being  an 
emissary  of  the  house  of  Guise,  pledged  to  do  his  utmost 
towards  the  re-establishment  of  French  influence  at  the 
Scottish  Court,  and  to  encourage  a  rapprochement  between 
James  and  his  unhappy  mother,  now  in  the  eleventh  year 
of  her  imprisonment  in  England.  This  plan  succeeded  beyond 
all  expectation.  Once  more  the  name  of  Mary  Stuart  could 
be  breathed  in  the  halls  and  galleries  of  the  old  palace  that 
had  been  so  fatal  to  her,  but  which  will  ever  be  haunted  by 
her  memory.  For  the  first  time  the  King  heard  her  name 
spoken  with  reverence  and  pity.  James  was  at  a  romantic 
age.  His  French  cousin  had  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  a 
complete  ascendancy  over  him,  and  before  long  had  so  far 
consoUdated  his  power  that,  vidth  the  help  of  James  Stewart, 
afterwards  Earl  of  Arran,  he  was  instrumental  in  having  Morton 


104  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

arraigned  for  complicity  in  the  murder  of  Darnley  and  brought 
to  the  block  in  1581,  there  to  suffer  a  penalty  long  over-due. 

The  power  wielded  by  the  new  favourite,  together  with 
his  haughty  demeanour  and  undoubted  misgovernment, 
naturally  brought  him  deadly  enemies,  and  plots,  encouraged 
by  Ehzabeth,  began  to  thicken.  D'Aubigny,  now  Duke  of 
Lennox,  with  Arran,  ruled  the  kingdom,  and  it  is  probable 
that  James,  in  his  new-found  freedom  and  pleasant  companion- 
ship, had  never  before  been  so  happy  in  his  life.  A  ray  of 
comfort,  too,  came  to  Mary  Stuart  in  her  desolate  prison. 
"  The  poor  child,"  she  wrote  of  her  son  to  Mauvissiere,  the 
French  Ambassador  in  London,  "  under  the  tyranny  of  the 
wretch  Morton,  was  forced  to  slight  the  obligation  towards 
me  that  was  born  with  him.  Yet  vainly  have  all  my  enemies 
laboured  to  tear  it  from  his  heart,  while  we  were  all  our  lives 
held  at  distance  from  each  other."  ' 

Later,  with  pathetic  confidence,  she  wrote :  "  Nothing 
can  sever  me  from  him,  for  I  live  for  him  and  not  for  myself." 
She  played  with  this  hope  for  a  year  or  two,  till  the  flicker 
of  romance  was  quenched  in  James,  and  he  finally  disposed 
himself  to  follow  the  line  of  selfish  interest  and  abandon  the 
mother  he  had  never  known.' 

■  Strickland's  Lives  of  the  Queens  of  Scotland,  vol.  vii.  p.  307. 

'  The  question  must  sometimes  occur,  Shall  we  ever  see  a  complete  edition 
in  English  of  the  letters  of  Mary  Stuart,  hundreds  of  which  have  long  since  been 
published  in  the  original  French  by  Prince  Alexander  Labanoff  ?  Those  wonder- 
ful letters,  written,  one  might  truly  say,  with  her  heart's  blood,  as  full  of  contra- 
dictions and  inconsistencies  as  human  nature  itself,  but  so  terribly,  remorselessly 
sincere — so  poignantly  faithful  to  the  impulse  of  the  moment.  They  carry  across 
the  centuries  the  cry  of  a  tortured  spirit,  they  vibrate  with  the  anguish  of  nineteen 
years  of  hope  deferred — those  long  bitter  years,  that  are  so  much  less  easy  to 
forgive  than  the  last  tragic  scene  at  Fotheringhay  !  And  the  woman  who  suffered 
so  was  not  of  her  own  day  only — there  lies  the  secret  of  her  power.  She  is  modern 
to  the  finger-tips.  She  is  a  woman  of  to-day,  flung,  through  some  strange  caprice 
of  fate,  into  the  barbarous  tumults  of  the  century  with  which  her  name  is  linked. 
Her  letters  are  hterature,  because  they  are  perfect  self-expression.  In  them 
every  note  in  the  scale  of  human  emotion  is  touched  in  turn — whether  it  be  hope, 
tenderness,  pathos,  wounded  affection,  ambition,  disillusionment,  anger,  despair, 
revenge,  or,  in  the  end,  resignation  and  noble  exaltation.  Surely  every  passion 
that  can  sweep  across  the  human  soul  is  there — excepting  only  meanness  or  in- 
gratitude !  Though  some  of  us  may  love  to  read  these  letters  in  the  old  French 
in  which  the  poor  Queen  wrote  them,  yet  there  are  many  who  have  not  had  the 
leisure  to  quahfy  themselves  for  this  purpose,  and  to  all  of  us,  in  any  case,  such  a 
translation  would  be  more  than  welcome.  Let  us  hope  that  one  of  the  native 
writers  will  some  day  gratify  us  by  undertaking  this  task,  which  was  only  par- 
tially, though  very  sympathetically,  executed  by  Miss  Strickland. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  105 

We  must  pass  over  the  Ruthven  Raid  of  1582  and  come 
at  once  to  what  concerns  our  story  most,  namely,  the  Angus 
RebeUion  of  1584.  A  powerful  party  of  malcontents  had  been 
formed,  headed  by  Angus,  Mar,  Gowrie,  the  Master  of  Glamis, 
and  others  of  the  "  English  "  party,  who,  sure  of  Elizabeth's 
support,  had  resolved  to  venture  all  in  an  attempt  to  over- 
throw the  favourite,  seize  the  King's  person,  and  establish 
their  own  party  in  power.  The  Master  of  Glamis  was  deeply 
implicated  in  this  plot.  He  had  been  a  principal  actor  in 
the  temporarily  successful  Raid  of  Ruthven,  had  been  banished 
immediately  afterwards,  and  had  nothing  to  hope  for  under 
the  Lennox  regime.  It  was  probably  as  a  retainer  of  the 
Master  of  Glamis  that  James  Arbuthnot,  with  his  son  John, 
took  part  in  this  rebellion.  As  tenants  on  the  Glamis  estates, 
they  would  naturally  follow  their  territorial  over-lord  in  the 
desperate  enterprise  on  which  he  had  embarked. 

Their  plans  complete,  the  rebels,  most  of  whom  had  been 
sheltered  in  England  during  Arran's  supremacy,  suddenly 
made  their  appearance  at  the  head  of  an  armed  force,  and, 
marching  upon  Stirling,  seized  that  city  by  a  coup-de-main. 
The  King  and  his  adherents  were,  however,  well  prepared, 
and,  mustering  an  overwhelming  force,  marched  on  the  rebels  ; 
these,  recognizing  their  position  as  hopeless,  promptly 
disbanded  their  troops  and  fled  across  the  border,  sure 
of  a  welcome  from  the  ever-hospitable  Elizabeth.  Although 
his  son  John  reached  England  safely,'  James  Arbuthnot  of 
Lentusche  does  not  appear  to  have  made  good  his  escape 
on  this  occasion,  for  we  find  that  he  was  apprehended  and 
shortly  afterwards  warded  in  Edinburgh.  On  20th  August, 
George,  Earl  of  Huntly,  declared  in  the  presence  of  the  King 
and  Lords  of  the  Articles  that  "  he  had  at  the  kingis  majesties' 
command  tane  James  Arbuthnot  of  Lyntusk,  quhome  he  had 
presenthe  within  the  burgh  of  Edinburgh,  ready  to  be  exhibit 
in  presence  of  his  grace  and  three  estaitis  presentlie  convenit." 
He  was  commanded  to  "  keip  the  said  James  until  his  hienes 
and  lordis  of  secreit  counsale  war  forther  advisit,  as  he  wold 
answer  to  his  grace  upon  his  obedience."  " 

'  Letters  of  horning  were  served  at  his  "  dwelling-place  "  in  the  "  Overtoun 
of  Belhelvie,"  8th  June,   1584. — Aberdeenshire  Homings. 
-  Acts  of  Parliament  of  Scotland,  vol.  iii.  p.  334. 


106  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

The  same  day  a  summons  of  treason  was  executed  and 
endorsed  against  all  the  participators  in  the  rebellion,  among 
whom  we  find  the  name  of  "  Johne  Arbuthnott  of  Lyntusk," 
the  crime  being  "  the  late  tumult  and  rebellioun  lately  com- 
mittet  aganis  us  "  and  for  not  "  compeiring  before  the  kingis 
majestic  and  his  estaitis  of  parhament  this  instant  day," 
although  all  had,  it  seems,  been  "  thrie  sindrie  tymes  oppinlie 
callit  at  the  tollbuyth." 

The  following  day,  21st  August,  a  fresh  summons  was 
issued  against  the  rebels,  in  which  it  is  recounted  that  they 
had  "  Hcence  grantit  to  thame  to  pas  furthe  of  the  realme  and 
nocht  to  cum  in  Ingland  nor  Ireland.  And  notwithstanding 
thereof  that  they  reparit  in  Ingland  and  trafiquit  for  the  erlis 
of  Angus,  Mar,  and  the  rest  of  the  said  conspirators  at  the 
court  of  Ingland."  Then  reference  is  made  to  a  declaration 
by  the  Archbishop  of  St.  Andrews  that  he  saw  them  "  in 
Ingland  efter  the  said  licence  grantit,"  and  then  summons  of 
treason  is  pronounced  against  a  long  list  of  delinquents — 
among  whom  is  "  Johne  Arbuthnot  of  Lyntusk  " — who  are 
declared  to  be  "  fugitive "  and  to  have  "  fled  in  Ingland 
togidder." 

On  22nd  August  another  long  Act  recounts  the  offences 
of  the  various  parties  already  denounced,  and  summons  of 
treason  is  once  more  promulgated,  sundry  details  being  added 
to  the  former  indictments.  Among  the  rebels  "  John 
Arbuthnot,  apperand  of  Lyntusk  "  is  again  denounced  and 
it  is  shown  that  whereas  the  rebels  had  been  summoned  to 
"  compeir "  before  the  King  and  his  council  on  the  20th 
August,  "  to  have  answerit  upon  the  crymes  and  pointtis  of 
treassoun  and  lesemaiestie  under  writtin  contenit  in  the 
same  summondis,"  they  had  failed  to  put  in  an  appearance, 
after  being  lawfully  summoned,  the  King's  messengers  having 
not  only  publicly  called  on  them  at  the  market  crosses  of 
Edinburgh,  Cupar,  Kinross,  Perth,  Aberdeen,  etc.,  to  appear 
and  answer  for  their  acts  of  treason,  but  also  conveyed  his 
Majesty's  summonses  to  the  residences  of  the  accused,  visit- 
ing, among  others,  "  the  place  of  Lyntusk,  quhare  the  said 
Johnne  Arbuthnot  made  residens."  After  having  "  dewlie 
and  syndrie  tymes  knockit  at  the  zettis  (gates)  of  the  saidis 
places,  .  .  .  and    affixt    and    left    a  just    coppie  one  ilk    of 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    107 

the  saidis  zettis,"  the  King's  messengers  were  forced,  it  seems, 
to  withdraw  discomfited,  their  quarry  having  (very  wisely) 
made  good  its  escape  across  the  border.  The  Act  goes  on  to 
declare  that  every  one  of  the  rebels  "  hes  committit  and 
incurrit  the  crymes  of  treassoun  and  lesemaiestie  in  the  haill 
pointtis  and  articles  obtenit  in  the  said  summondis,"  and  it 
is  therefore  discerned  and  declared  that  "  all  thair  guidis 
movable  and  unmovable  alsweill  landis  as  offices  and  utheris 
quhatsumever  belonging  to  thame  to  be  confiscat  to  our  said 
soveraine  lord  and  remain  perpetualie  with  his  hienes  in 
property  for  ever,  and  thair  persones  to  underlye  the  pane 
of  treassoun  and  last  punishment  appointit  by  the  laus  of 
this  realme."  " 

John  Arbuthnot  was  relaxed  from  the  horn  on  31st  March, 
1585,  and  James  must  also  by  this  time  have  made  his  peace 
with  the  authorities,  for  we  find  the  father  and  son  in  that 
month  making  strenuous  efforts  to  regain  possession  of  their 
lands  in  Belhelvie,  which  had  been  seized  in  their  absence 
by  the  Symsone  family  and  one  Thomas  Ker.  The  Symsones 
retaliated  by  putting  James  Arbuthnot  to  the  horn  for  the 
murder  of  Andrew  Symsone  a  few  years  earlier.  From  this 
charge  James  managed  to  clear  himself  the  following  year, 
but  in  the  meantime  he  remained  at  the  horn  and  the  Symsones 
in  possession  of  the  disputed  lands.  At  this  point  public 
affairs  again  strike  across  our  narrative. 

Nothing  could  have  seemed  more  complete  than  the 
triumph  of  the  King's  party  and  the  discomfiture  of  his  enemies 
in  the  autumn  of  1584,  the  "  Enghsh  "  faction  appearing  to 
be  finally  demoralized  and  dispersed.  But  the  rebels  had 
by  no  means  abandoned  their  schemes,  and  the  following 
year  the  country  was  again  distracted  with  a  fresh  rebeUion, 
this  time  far  better  organized  and  supported  than  the 
year  before.  Besides  being  quite  unprepared,  the  King  had 
hopelessly  alienated  the  Kirk  and  all  those  who  from  policy 
or  religious  zeal  favoured  the  Presbyterian  system,  thus 
driving  this  powerful  faction  into  open  collusion  with  the 
rebels  and  English  intriguers. 

'  In  this  long  Act,  part  of  which  is  in  Latin,  John  Arbuthnot  is  variously 
mentioned  as  "  Johne  Arbuthnot  apperand  of  Lyntusk,"  "  Johannem  arbuthnet 
Juniorem  de  Lyntusk,"  "  Johnne  arbuthnot,  sone  to  James  arbuthnot  of  Lyntusk." 


108  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

The  rebels,  once  more  crossing  the  border,  advanced  with- 
out opposition  and  again  seized  Stirhng.  The  weakness  of 
the  Crown  was  demonstrated  by  the  fact  that  James  did  not 
attempt  resistance.  Arran  fled  precipitately,  and  the  King, 
once  reassured  as  to  his  personal  safety,  capitulated  without 
striking  a  blow.  Arran  was  promptly  denounced  a  traitor 
in  the  King's  name,  and  pardons  were  lavished  on  all  the 
rebels. 

The  Act  of  Parliament  rehabilitating  them  recounts  that 
the  commonwealth  had  been  "  wonderfuUie  afflictit  "  through 
many  dissensions  among  the  nobles,  and  goes  on  to  say  that 
his  Majesty  King  James  VI,  being  "  maist  desirous  of  the 
unione  and  concord  of  all  his  subjectis,"  and  taking  into  con- 
sideration the  "  honest  and  cumhe "  demeanour  of  certain 
noblemen  and  gentlemen  (among  the  latter  are  mentioned 
"  James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche,  John  Arbuthnot,  his  sone, 
David  Arbuthnot  .  .  .  and  utheris  ")  "  who  repared  to  his 
Grace  at  Sterling  on  the  second  day  of  November  last 
bipast,"  has  been  pleased  to  remit  all  penalties  and  to 
reverse  all  sentences  of  forfeiture  before  pronounced  against 
them. 

These  pardons  can  hardly  be  regarded  as  an  act  of  grace 
on  the  part  of  the  King.  They  were  extorted  from  him  by 
the  unanswerable  argument  of  superior  force,  and  circum- 
stances compelled  him  to  receive  as  friends  those  who  a  few 
months  before  had  been  denounced  rebels  and  forfeited  of 
all  their  goods.  Henceforth  the  "  English "  party  reigned 
supreme  in  Scotland,  revelling  in  its  final  triumph  when  in 
1587  the  judicial  murder  of  Mary  Stuart  at  Fotheringhay 
destroyed  the  last  link  with  the  ancient  traditional  policy 
of  a  Franco-Scottish  alliance. 

We  have  seen  that  immediately  before  this  second  rebellion 
James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche  was  engaged  in  an  attempt 
to  regain  possession  of  his  lands  in  Belhelvie  parish.  The 
pohtical  change,  which  had  been  so  swiftly  and  successfully 
engineered,  had  now  placed  James  in  a  position  of  advantage, 
giving  him  the  active  support  of  the  Master  of  Glamis,  who 
soon  showed  himself  a  force  to  be  reckoned  with.  On  i6th 
November,  1585,  we  find  "  Relaxation  in  favour  of  Thomas 
Ker,  burgess  of  Aberdeen,  from  horning  at  the  instance  of 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    109 

Mr.  Thomas  Lyon  of  Balduky,  Master  of  Glamis,  James 
Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche  and  John  Arbuthnot,  his  son,  and 
David  Arbuthnot,  his  brother,  for  removing  from  the  lands 
of  Overtoun  of  Balhelwie  and  Langsett ;  he  having  already 
given  obedience  thereto."  ' 

On  22nd  January,  1585-6,  there  is  "  Gift  to  John  Arbuthnot 
and  David  Arbuthnot  and  their  heirs  and  assignees  of  the 
escheat  of  Thomas  Ker,  burgess  of  Aberdeen,  who  is  at  the 
horn  at  the  instance  of  John  Arbuthnot,  son  of  James 
Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche,  and  David  Arbuthnot,  brother  of 
the  said  James  Arbuthnot,  for  not  rendering  to  them 
the  lands  of  Overtoun  and  Langsett  in  the  barony  of 
Balhelveis."  ^ 

On  loth  January,  1586-7,  James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche 
obtained  decreet  before  the  Lords  of  Council  "  against  Thomas 
Ker,-  burgess  of  Aberdeen,  and  others,  for  spoliation  on  i6th 
June,  1584,  of  his  lands  of  Overtoun  of  Belhelvies,  Murtoun, 
Keir  and  Langseitt,  to  prevent  the  said  persons  from  de- 
frauding him  of  redress."  3 

This  is  the  last  that  we  hear  of  this  affair,  and  we  con- 
clude that,  for  some  years  at  least,  the  Arbuthnots  remained 
in  peaceful,  though  perhaps  wrongful,  possession  of  their 
Belhelvie  estates. 

In  March,  1587,  James's  son  William  got  his  father's  escheat, 
the  latter  being  at  the  horn  for  "  not  payment  to  Helen  Gray, 
widow  of  George  Gray,  of  Sheilhill,  of  £600  consigned  in  his 
hands  by  Margaret  Lyoun,  lawful  daughter  of  Mr.  Thomas 
Lyoun  of  Baldewkie,  Master  of  Glamis,  for  redemption  of 
the  lands  of  Lenross,  in  Forfarshire."  ^ 

On  15th  August,  1587,  we  find  the  only  mention  of  Robert 
Arbuthnot  of  Rora,  believed  to  be  ancestor  of  Jhe  Aberdeen- 
shire Arbuthnots,  in  connection  with  James  Arbuthnot  of 
Lentusche.  On  various  occasions  we  find  James's  sons,  John 
and  WiUiam,  getting  his  escheat  when  he  is  at  the  horn,  and 
on  15th  August,  1587,  we  come  on  the  following  entry  in 
the  Register  of  the  Privy  Seal  : 

"  Gift  to  Robert  Arbuthnot  in  Rora  and  his  heirs  and 
assignees  of  the  escheat  of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche, 

I  Aberdeenshire  Homings.  -  Register  of  the  Privy  Seal,  vol.  53. 

3  Aberdeenshire  Homings.  4  Register  of  the  Privy  Seal,  vol.  57. 


110  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

who  is  at  the  horn  for  not  payment  to  Wilham  Fraser  in 
Bogheids  of  £80  Scots  as  the  balance  of  £146  contained  in 
a  decreet  by  the  commissary  of  Aberdeen."  ' 

We  have  seen  that  in  1581-2  there  was  some  trouble  over 
the  matter  of  the  Bassendyne  Bible.  This  subject  comes  up 
again  in  1587,  when  we  find  the  following  entry  in  the  Register 
oj  the  Privy  Council : ' 

"  Edinburgh,  December  23,  1587.  Caution  by  Johnne 
[James  is  here  intended,  as  appears  by  the  context]  Arbuthnote 
of  I.entusche,  as  principal  and  Johnne  Arbuthnot  of  Legland 
[Legasland  is  meant]  as  surety  for  him  and  for  David  Guthrie 
of  Kincaldrum,  William  Guthrie  of  Halkartoun  and  Williame 
Rynd  of  Kers,  that  they  shall  deliver  to  Archibald  Douglas, 
Messenger  in  Aid  Aberdeen,  102  '  Biblis  bundin  blak  and 
glaspitt  with  all  damnage  and  entres,'  in  conformity  with  an 
obligation  made  by  the  late  Alexander  Arbuthnott  •  and 
Thomas  Bassendyne,  printer,  as  principals,  and  the  said 
James  Arbuthnote  and  the  other  sureties  foresaid,  as  sureties 
for  them." 

In  this  entry  we  get  the  important  inference  that  James's 
son  John  was  of  Legasland  at  this  time.  He  may,  perhaps, 
have  inherited  it  direct  from  his  grandfather,  who  died  in 
1573-4.  We  find  him  styled  "  of  Legasland  "  in  1591,  the 
date  of  his  infeftment  in  the  estate  of  Cairngall,  to  which  we 
shall  refer  later  on. 

In  1589  James  Arbuthnot  was  surety  for  William  Leslie 
of  Warthill  that  the  latter  "  shall  attempt  nothing  in  haste 
or  prejudice  of  His  Majestie  his  authorities,  the  present  estate, 
realme  and  legis,  nor  the  rehgioun  presenthe  professit  within 
the  same  "  ' 

In  November,  1590,  a  rather  complicated  action  took  place 
in  the  Arbuthnot  family.  It  seems  that  James  Arbuthnot's 
grandson,   John,   described  as   "  son  of  John  Arbuthnot  of 

'  Some  light  is  perhaps  thrown  on  this  debt  by  a  later  entry  in  the  same 
record,  24th  October,  1590  ;  "  Gift  to  William  Arbuthnot,  son  of  James  Arbutlinot, 
of  Lentusche,  of  the  escheat  of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche,  who  is  at  the  horn 
for  non-payment  to  William  Fraser  in  Boigheid  of  100  merks  as  part  of  the  tocher 
promised  to  him  by  Alexander  Arbuthnot,  brother  to  the  said  James,  for  which 
James  became  cautioner."     This  Alexander  we  take  to  be  the  printer. 

=  Vol.  iv.  pp.  237-8. 

J  Register  of  the  Privy  Council,  vol.  iv.  p.  378. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    111 

Leggisland,"  received  his  father's  and  grandfather's  escheat, 
they  being  at  the  horn  at  the  instance  of  Wilham  Leslie, 
for  non-payment  to  him  "  as  executor  to  Isobel  LesUe,  his 
sister,  of  a  sum  of  money  contained  in  a  decreet."  Wilham 
LesHe  had  also  obtained  letters  against  this  younger  John 
Arbuthnot  "  to  desist  from  molesting  the  said  Mr.  William 
for  his  escheat  in  respect  of  the  above  sum."  ' 

On  ist  December,  1591,  we  come  to  the  date  of  the  infeft- 
ment  of  John  Arbuthnot  in  the  estate  of  Cairngall,  after  which 
he  is  invariably  mentioned  as  "  of  Cairngall."  This  deed 
will  be  found  printed  in  extenso  in  Appendix  II.  It  will  be 
seen  that  James  Arbuthnot  is  associated  with  his  son  in  the 
purchase  of  this  estate  from  Sir  John  Gordon  of  Pitlurg,  but 
James  himself  appears  never  to  have  been  in  possession 
of  it.  He  probably  advanced  the  money  for  its  purchase 
and  for  redeeming  portions  of  it  which  were  wadset  to  various 
persons,  but  it  appears  that  his  son  John  was  put  in  possession 
of  it  and  made  it  his  residence. 

On  I2th  November,  1591,  James  Arbuthnot  "  of  Ledin- 
tushe,"  with  his  "  second  lawful  son,"  Wilham,  burgess 
of  Aberdeen,  resigned  a  half  net's  salmon  fishing  "  on  the 
Water  of  Dee  "  in  favour  of  William  Donaldson,  burgess  of 
Aberdeen.^ 

On  i6th  May,  1601,  Patrick  Lord  Glamis,  having  obtained 
decreet  of  removing  against  James  and  John  Arbuthnot, 
made  vigorous  efforts  to  eject  the  Arbuthnots  from  their 
holdings  in  Belhelvie.  On  that  date  we  find  the  following 
entry  among  the  Aberdeenshire  Homings  :  3 

"  Horning  at  the  instance  of  Patrick  Lord  Glamis  against 
John  Arbuthnot  of  Lentushe"  and  others  ■•  "for  wrongful 
occupation  of  the  towns  and  lands  of  Keir  and  Eigie  in  the 
parish  of  Balhelveis,  Aberdeenshire,  from  Whitsunday,  1598, 
when  they  were  warned  to  remove  therefrom.  The  letters 
are  dated  loth  March,  1601,  and  executed  on  28th  April, 
1601,  against  John  Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall  at  his  dwelling- 

•  Register  of  the  Privy  Seal,  vol.  6i. 

2  Aberdeen  Burgh  Register  of  Sasines. 

>  Vol.  X. 

4  Among  whom  appears  the  name  of  "  Henry  Arbuthnot,"  whom  we  have 
failed  to  identify.  He  seems  to  have  occupied  six  oxgates  of  the  lands  of  Keir, 
Belhelvie,  and  was  very  probably  a  son  of  James  of  Lentusche. 


112  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

place  of  Cairngall,   the  letters  being  delivered  to   his   wife, 
as  he  was  not  present,"  etc. 

On  6th  September,  1601,  Lord  Glamis  murdered  Patrick 
Johnston,  who  was  one  of  his  tenants  in  Belhelvie,  and  had 
married  Margaret  Arbuthnot,  believed  to  be  the  daughter 
of  John  Arbuthnot,  first  Laird  of  Cairngall.  This  outrage, 
which  will  be  described  in  detail  later,  no  doubt  added  to 
the  acrimony  of  the  situation,  and  quickened  Lord  Glamis's 
desire  to  be  rid  of  the  Arbuthnots,  who  might  be  meditating 
revenge  for  the  crime. 

On  8th  February,  1602,  there  is  "  Registration  of  Bond 
by  James  Arbuthnett  of  Lentuchie  and  John  Arbuthnett 
of  Carnigall,  narrating  action  of  removal  at  the  instance  of 
Patrick  Lord  Glamis,  against  them  and  their  tenants  of  the 
lands  of  Egie  and  Kier  in  the  parish  of  Balhelvie,  in  which 
they  have  found  William  Leslie  of  Warthill  cautioner  for 
payment  of  the  violent  profits,  and  now  they  oblige  themselves 
to  relieve  their  said  cautioner."  The  original  bond  had  been 
dated  12th  November,  1599,  a  witness  being  "  Alexander 
Arbuthnett."  ' 

In  1609  this  quarrel  was  still  raging,  as  we  shall  see  when 
we  come  to  consider  the  career  of  John,  first  Laird  of  Cairngall. 
In  1606  James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche  is  mentioned  in 
the  Burgh  Records  of  Aberdeen,  where,  with  several  others, 
and  in  conjunction  with  the  Council  and  Community,  he 
joins  in  raising  letters  summoning  John  Leith,  elder  of  Hart- 
hill,  and  his  son  John,  to  answer  for  imposing  certain  unlawful 
taxes  at  the  annual  fair  of  St.  Lawrence,  in  Old  Rayne. 
According  to  the  complainants,  they  had  possessed  themselves 
"  wrangouslie,  violentlie,  and  maisterfuUie,  without  onie  kind 
of  richt,  infeftment,  gift,  Ucence,  or  uther  warrant  grantit  to 
thame  be  his  Maiestie  .  .  ." — namely,  had  extorted  pay- 
ment "  of  everie  stand  sett  downe  for  haulding  of  merchandice, 
or  ony  uther  guidis  and  geir,  upon  the  ground  of  the  saidis 
landis  of  Auld  Rayne,  thretteine  schillingis,  4d.  ;  of  everie 
ox,  kow,  or  horse,  seixtene  d.  ;  of  everie  scheip,  aucht  d.," 
etc.,  etc. ' 

1  Aberdeen  Registers  of  Deeds,  vol.  84. 

2  Extracts  from  the  Council  Register   of  the  Burgh   of  Aberdeen,  edited    by 
J.  Stuart,  1848,  vol.  ii.  p.  282 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    113 

The  fair  of  St.  Lawrence  had  been  held  from  time  imme- 
morial in  the  parish  of  Old  Rayne,  the  Leiths  of  Harthill 
being  superiors  of  the  lands  on  which  it  was  held.  The 
LesUes  and  Leiths  were  perpetually  at  feud,  and  James 
Arbuthnot,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  does  not  appear  to  have 
been  backward  in  flinging  himself  into  all  the  controversies, 
both  public  and  private,  of  his  time. 

In  April,  1607,  as  we  have  seen,  James  Arbuthnot  consented 
to  the  sale  of  Lentusche,  with  certain  reservations,  and  on 
that  occasion  signed  as  "  James  Arbuthnot  of  Portertoun." 

In  September,  1607,  James  Arbuthnot  was  surety  for 
"  John  Gordoun  of  Boigis  and  Robert  Johnestoun  in  Kayis- 
mylne  "  in  £1,000  for  each,  and  for  John  Gordon  of  Chapeltown 
of  Essilmont  in  100  merks,  that  they  would  not  harm  a  long 
list  of  persons,  among  whom  occur  several  of  the  name  of 
Lyon,  also  Jaffray  and  Wishart. 

He  probably  died  some  time  in  the  end  of  1607.  In  an 
entry  in  the  Register  of  the  Privy  Council  in  December,  1608, 
relating  to  the  murder  of  George  Leith  of  Harthill,  to  be 
mentioned  later,  "  the  late  James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentuiche  " 
is  referred  to.  His  grandson,  John  Arbuthnot,  brought  an 
action  against  Grizel  Leslie,  James's  third  wife,  in  May  1609, 
for  "  spoliation,  in  1607  and  1608,  from  his  (John's)  town 
and  lands  of  Portertoune  of  goods,  cattle,  money,  writs," 
etc. — seeming  to  imply  that  Grizel,  in  the  first  days  of  her 
widowhood,  was  by  no  means  unmindful  of  her  material 
interests. 

James  Arbuthnot  was  three  times  married.  In  1564, 
1565,  and  1566-7,  he  was  the  husband  of  Christian  CoUace, 
probably  belonging  to  the  Forfarshire  family  of  Collace  of 
Balnamoon. 

At  some  time  in  his  career  he  was  married  to  Isobel, 
daughter  of  WiUiam  Leslie  of  Balquhaine.  We  can  only 
guess  at  the  date  of  this  marriage,  but  it  will  doubtless  have 
taken  place  some  time  after  1566-7,  when  his  first  wife, 
Christian  Collace,  is  last  mentioned,  and  very  probably  about 
the  year  1568,  when  we  find  James  Arbuthnot  feuing  land 
in  Logydurno  from  William  Leslie  of  Balquhaine.  Isobel 
Leslie's  mother  was  Joanna,  daughter  of  John,  sixth  Lord 
Forbes,  and  widow  of  John,  third  Earl  of  Athol  of  the  Stewart 


114  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

line.  Isobel  was  certainly  dead  before  1587,  the  year  in  which 
James  Arbuthnot's  third  wife  is  first  mentioned.  We  have 
seen  that  in  1600  William  Leslie  (Isobel's  brother)  claimed 
some  money  and  goods  falling  to  him  as  "  executor  dative 
to  the  deceased  Isobel  Leslie,  his  sister,  spouse  in  her  time 
to  James  Arbuthnot  of  Leddintushe."  ' 

From  1587  onwards  we  find  mention  of  James  Arbuthnot's 
third  wife,  Grizel  Leslie,  who  survived  him  and  was  living 
in  1611,  as  we  learn  by  a  bond  registered  in  1613  "  by  Normand 
Arbuthnot,  son  of  the  deceased  James  Arbuthnot  of  Len- 
tush  in  favour  of  Grizel  Leslie,  widow  of  the  said  James 
Arbuthnot,  dated  nth  October,  1611."  Grizel  Leslie  was 
the  daughter  of  WilHam  Leslie  of  Wardis,  Falconer  to 
James  VI. 

By  one  or  other  of  these  wives  James  Arbuthnot  had 
issue — 

I.  John,  first  Laird  of  Cairngall,  of  whom  presently. 
II.  William,  to  whom,  on  6th  March,  1567-8,  Patrick 
Leslie,  burgess  of  Aberdeen,  resigned  half  a  net's 
fishing  in  the  River  Dee." 

On  this  occasion  he  is  described  as  "  second  lawful  son 
of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Newbigging,  burgess  of  Aberdeen." 
The  other  half  net's  fishing  was,  the  same  day,  transferred 
to  his  father.  On  i8th  April,  1569,  WiUiam  x\rbuthnot, 
"  second  son  of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Elpitie,"  was  admitted 
burgess  of  Aberdeen.' 

On  12th  November,  1591,  there  is  "  Resignation  by  James 
Arbuthnot  of  Ledintushe,  burgess  of  Aberdeen,  and  William 
Arbuthnot  his  second  lawful  son,  burgess  thereof,  of  their 
fishing  of  the  half  net's  salmon  fishing  on  the  Water  of  Dee, 
in  favour  of  Wilham  Donaldson,  burgess  of  Aberdeen,"  etc. " 

III.  Thomas,  mentioned  July  22nd,  1570,  in  a  "  Sasine 
by  James  Arbuthnot,  burgess  of  Aberdeen,  to 
Thomas  Arbuthnot,  his  third  lawful  son,  and  his 
heirs  and  assignees,  under  reversion  for  an  angel 

1  Aberdeen  Register  of  Deeds,  vol.  76. 

2  Aberdeen  Burgh  Register  of  Sasines. 

3  Aberdeen  Guild  and  Burgess  List. 

4  Aberdeen  Burgh  Register  of  Sasines. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    115 

noble,  of  his  croft  on  the  south  side  of  the  crofts 
of  Aberdeen,  and  an  annual  rent  out  of  the  same." 
On  29th  September,  1573,  this  croft  was  redeemed. 
Robert  Arbuthnot,  "  father's  brother  and  tutor 
to  Thomas  Arbuthnot,  lawful  son  of  James 
Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche,"  was  charged  to  appear 
and  "  see  consignation  made  of  an  angel  noble  for 
redemption  from  the  said  Thomas  of  a  croft 
on  the  west  side  of  the  Crofts  of  Aberdeen  lying 
at  the  Craibstone,  disponed  by  the  said  James 
Arbuthnot  to  the  said  Thomas."  • 
IV.  Alexander,  who,  in  December,  1608,  was  at  the  horn 
in  company  with  George  Leslie  of  Oldcraig  and 
John  Duncan,  "  servitor  to  the  said  George 
LesUe,"  for  the  murder  of  George  Leith,  third 
son  of  John  Leith  of  Harthill,  whom  it  appears 
they  had  attacked  "  with  hagbuts  *  and  there- 
after stripping  him  of  his  habiliments,  together 
with  his  sword,  steelbonnet  and  purse  contain- 
ing jTioo  of  gold  and  £10  in  white  silver,"  etc.' 

In  January,  1609,  John  Leslie  of  Wardis  found  caution 
not  to  "  reset  "  the  murderers  while  at  the  horn  for  this 
crime,  but  in  1615,  six  years  later,  the  offenders  being  still 
unrelaxed,  a  long  complaint  by  the  murdered  man's  widow 
and  relatives  accuses  John  Leslie  of  Wardis  of  having  broken 
this  undertaking,  having  "  reset  "  the  murderers,  sent  a  horse 
to  George  Leslie  of  Oldcraig,  entertained  him  at  Wardis,  and 
"  forgadderit  "  with  him  at  Inverurie,  etc.* 

According  to  Moir,  this  Alexander  Arbuthnot,  brother 
of  the  first  Laird  of  Cairngall,  was  ancestor  of  one  line  of 
the  Buchan  Arbuthnots.  We  shall  therefore  return  to  him 
when  dealing  with  that  branch  of  the  family.' 

•  Aberdeen  Burgh  Register  of  Sasines. 
^  I.e.  pistols. 

3  Register  of  the  Privy  Council  of  Scotland,  vol.  viii.  p.   204. 

4  Ihid.,  vol.  X.  p.  387. 

5  After  considering  the  above  exploit  of  Alexander  Arbuthnot  and  comparing 
it  with  incidents  in  the  career  of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche,  we  are  liardly 
inclined  to  agree  with  John  Moir's  rather  rosy  account  of  the  virtues  that  had 
ever  been  characteristic  of  the  Arbuthnots  of  Buchan.  After  enlarging  upon 
their  "  uncommonly  fine  countenances  and  graceful  persons,"  he  proceeds  :   "  But 


116  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

V.  William,  second  of  the  name,  living  simultaneously 
with  the  former  William." 

On  2nd  June,  1582,  there  is  "  Redemption  by  James 
Arbuthnot  of  Ledintushe  on  behalf  of  WiUiam  Arbuthnot, 
his  son,  of  a  tenement  and  yard  in  the  Castlegate.'  On  the 
14th  of  the  same  month,  "  William  Arbuthnot,  son  of  James 
Arbuthnot  of  Lentushe,  with  consent  of  his  said  father  and 
administrator,  acknowledges  a  tenement  of  land  in  the  Castle- 
gate  lawfully  redeemed  by  Mr.  Thomas  Menzies  of  Dorn 
for  340  merks.3 

On  25th  April,  1586,  there  is  "  Action  at  the  instance  of 
WiUiam  Arbuthnot,  with  consent  of  James  Arbuthnot,  his 
father  and  tutor,  against  Patrick  Hay,  goldsmith."  These 
three  entries  clearly  establish  that  William  Arbuthnot  was  a 
minor  at  the  dates  specified.  The  following  extracts,  however, 
might  apply  to  either  of  the  two  Williams  : 

"  March  5th,  1587.  Gift  to  Wilham  Arbuthnot,  son  of 
James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentushe,  of  the  escheat  of  James 
Arbuthnot  of  Lentushe,  who  is  at  the  horn  "  for  non-payment 
of  a  sum  of  money  to  Helen  Gray.'' 

"  October  24th,  1590.  Gift  to  William  Arbuthnot,  son 
of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentushe,  of  the  escheat  of  James 
Arbuthnot  of  Lentushe,  who  is  at  the  horn  for  non-payment 
to  William  Fraser  in  Boigheid  of  100  merks,  as  part  of  the 
tocher  promised  to  him  by  Alexander  Arbuthnot,  brother 
of  the  said  James,  for  which  James  became  cautioner."  s 

what  peculiarly  distinguished  them  and  entitled  them  to  the  love  and  esteem  of 
their  contemporaries,  was  a  suavity  of  manners  and  unaffected  benevolence  of 
heart,  joined  to  a  singular  cheerfulness  and  liveliness  of  disposiiion,  that  has  rarely 
been  equalled  and  never  excelled."  (The  italics  are  mine.)  John  Moir  doubtless 
referred  to  the  later  generations  of  the  family,  or  perhaps  "  liveliness  of  disposition  " 
may  be  held  to  cover  and  excuse  little  adventures  of  the  kind  we  have  been  obliged 
to  record. 

"  This  curious  circumstance  was  not  unusual.  The  Rev.  Henry  Paton, 
whose  experience  in  genealogical  research  is  unrivalled,  tells  me  that  he  has  come 
upon  no  less  than  three  living  Johns  in  one  family.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  two 
Williams  cannot  possibly  have  been  identical,  since  the  second  one  was  under 
age  in   1582  and   1586. 

»  Burgh  Register  of  Sasines. 

t  Burgh  Court  Deeds.  This  land  had  been  acquired  by  James  Arbuthnot 
and  Christian  Collace,  his  first  wife,  in  1566-7,  as  we  have  seen.  It  was  resigned 
in  their  favour  by  Mr.  Menzies,  of  Dorn,  who  now  resumed  possession  of  it. 

4  Register  of  the  Privy  Seal ,  vol.  57,  see  ante,  p.  109. 

5  Ibid.,  vol.  61. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  117 

In  1605  William  Arbuthnot  was  called,  in  company  with 
his  brother  John  Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall,  as  next-of-kin  to 
his  nephew,  Andrew  Leslie,  son  of  John  Leslie  in  Boigs  and 
Helen  Arbuthnot." 

Among  the  Edinburgh  Testaments,  the  will  is  recorded  in 
1607  of  "  William  Arbuthnot  in  Newmanswalls,  brother- 
german  to  John  Arbuthnot  of  Carnegaff  [sic],  in  the  parish 
of  Montrose  and  sheriffdom  of  Forfar,  in  Angus,  who  died  in 
April,  1606,  given  up  by  the  said  John  Arbuthnot  of  Carnegaff, 
his  brother,  as  executor  to  him.  His  estate  consisted  of 
twenty  sheep,  a  cow  and  a  stot,  with  body  clothes,  valued 
in  all  to  £73  6s.  8d."  Among  debts  due  to  him  is  mentioned 
one  "  by  Margaret  Arbuthnot,  sister  to  the  defunct,  for  a  mare, 
;{io,  he  being  cautioner  therefore  for  Henry  Arbuthnot,"  etc. 

VI.  Norman,  appears  to  have  been  "  servitor  "  to  John 
LesUe  of  Wardis  in  1607,  1608,  and  1616.' 

On  i6th  December,  1613,  there  is  "  Registration  of  Bond 
by  Normand  Arbuthnot,  son  of  the  deceased  James  Arbuthnot 
of  Lentush,  in  favour  of  Grizel  Leslie,  widow  of  the  said  James 
Arbuthnot,  dated  nth  October,  1611."  3 

In  1614  "  Normand  Arbuthnot "  was  named  with  his 
brother  John  of  Cairngall  in  a  Curatory  for  the  children  of 
the  late  Patrick  Johnston,  "  sometime  of  Moistoun."  " 

This  Patrick  was  the  husband  of  Margaret  Arbuthnot, 
and  was  murdered  in  1601  by  Lord  Glamis  in  Belhelvie 
Churchyard,  as  we  shall  see. 

"  Normond  Arbuthnot  "  was,  in  1616,  put.  to  the  horn 
for  having  "  reset  "  his  brother  Alexander,  then  in  trouble 
for  the  murder  of  George  Leith.  He  is  referred  to  on  this 
occasion  as  "in  Boigheid."  ' 

A  Norman  Leslie,  son  of  "  the  late  John  Leslie  of 
Balquhan,"  was  admitted  burgess  of  Aberdeen  in  July  1581.' 

■  Records  of  the  Sheriff  Court  of  Aberdeen,  vol.  ii.  p.  56. 
»  From  entries  in  the  Great  Seal  Registers,  Registers  of  the  Privy  Council,  and 
Aberdeenshire  Homings. 

3  Aberdeen  Sheriff  Court  Deeds. 

4  Records  of  the  Sheriff  Court  of  Aberdeenshire,  edited  by  D.  Littlejohn,  vol. 
ii.  p.  69. 

5  Aberdeenshire  Homings,  vol.  20. 

'  Aberdeen  Guild  and  Burgess  List. 


118  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

It  was  doubtless  through  the  LesHes  that  the  name  Norman 
was  introduced  into  the  Arbuthnot  family,  and  we  shall 
probably  not  be  wrong  in  supposing  that  Norman  Arbuthnot 
was  the  son  of  Isobel  LesHe,  and  had  been  named  after  his 
great-uncle.  In  1624,  "  Normand  Arbuthnot,  burgess  of 
Aberdeen,"  is  cautioner  in  a  suit  between  WiUiam  Wilson 
in  Milbrex  and  Patrick  Gordon  in  Cairngall.' 

In  1632  "  Normand  Arbuthnot,  burgess  of  Aberdeen," 
is  named  as  assignee  of  Wilham  Forbes  in  Kinmundy,'  and  in 
1658  a  "  Normond  Arbuthnot  in  Bethelnie,"  was  cautioner 
for  Thomas  Urquhart  in  Mowney,  in  the  parish  of  Daviot.^ 

VII.  James,  second  Laird  of  Lentusche,  which  estate,  as 
we  have  seen,  was  made  over  to  him  in  his  father's 
lifetime.  In  the  Charter  conveying  the  lands  to 
him,  which  was  signed  at  Lentusche  on  9th  May, 
1601,  "  Barbara  Wishart,  his  future  spouse," 
is  named.  A  witness  was  James  Wishart,  lawful 
son  of  Alexander  Wishart  of  Carnebeg,  who  was 
doubtless  Barbara's  brother  or  father.  Registra- 
tion of  sasine  is  dated  gth  May,  1607.  The 
previous  year,  1606,  he  had  been  at  the  horn, 
for  what  offence  does  not  appear,*  and  he  was 
again  at  the  horn  in  1611  for  the  "  slaughter" 
of  WiUiam  Wood  in  Thanestoun.s 

On  this  last  occasion  he  is  described  as  "  sometime  of 
Lentusche." 

He  was  living  in  1636,  and  was  then  the  husband  of 
"  Marie  Fraser,"  daughter  of  Thomas  Fraser  of  Durris,  by 
his  wife,  Isobel  Fraser,  daughter  of  Michael  Fraser  of  Stoney- 
wood,  and  sister  of  Andrew,  first  Lord  Fraser.*  The  Frasers 
of  Stoneywood  at  this  time  held  the  lands  of  Kinmundy, 
afterwards  known  as  Nether  Kinmundy,  in  the  parish  of  Long- 
side,  and  were  therefore  near  neighbours  of  the  Arbuthnots 

I  Records  of  the  Sheriff  Court  of  Aberdeenshire,  edited  by  David  Littlejohn, 
vol.  ii.  p.  278. 

^  Ibid.,  vol.  ii.  p.   357. 

3  Ibid.,  vol.  iii.  p.  58. 

4  Register  of  the  Privy  Council,  vol.  viii.  p.  357. 

5  Ibid.,  vol.  ix.  p.  280. 

*  Register  of  Deeds,  vol.  487. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE     119 

of  Cairngall.  There  is  no  trace  of  any  issue  by  this  marriage, 
and  we  know  nothing  further  of  James  Arbuthnot,  second  of 
Lentusche. 

I.  Margaret,    mentioned,    as    we   have     seen,     in    her 

brother  WiUiam's  will,  in  1606. 
II.  Helen,  married  first  John  Leslie  of  Boigs,  who  was 
dead  before  1604  ;  and  secondly  John  Gordon  of 
Boigs  and  of  Tilligreig,  Sheriff-Deputy  of  Aberdeen.' 
By  her  first  husband  she  had  at  least  one  son, 
Andrew  Leslie,  portioner  of  Logydurno,  who 
married  Isobel  Stewart,  daughter  of  WilUam 
Stewart  of  Cowstanes  and  Lamington,  and  had 
a  son  Robert,  to  whom  a  birthbrief  was  granted 
in  1661." 

In  this  document  Helen  Arbuthnot,  then  deceased,  is 
described  as  "  lauchfull  dauchter  to  the  deceast  James  Ar- 
buthnot of  Potertoun,  within  the  parochin  of  Forden,' 
schirrefdome  of  Aberdein."  " 

III.  Bessie,    living   in    1617.     In   that   year   there   is    a 

reference  to  her  in  the  Sheriff  Court  Deeds  of 
Aberdeen,  where  we  find  a  minute  of  a  "  Registra- 
tion of  bond  by  George  Cheyne  in  Bourhills  of 
Straloch  to  Bessie  Arbuthnot,  daughter  of  the 
late  James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentushe." 

IV.  Christian,   married   James,    fifth   son   of   Alexander 

Leslie,  fourth  of  Pitcaple.' 

•  Records  of  the  Sheriff  Court  of  Aberdeen,  vol.  ii.  pp.   154,   218. 
=  Spalding  Club  Miscellany,  vol.  v.  p.  338-9.    Birthbrieves  from  the  Registers 
of  the  Burgh  of  Aberdeen. 

3  Fordoun. 

4  This  is  evidently  an  error  for  Kincardineshire,  and  the  editor  of  the  Spalding 
Club  Miscellany  has  so  queried  it.  Unfortunately  these  birthbrieves,  invaluable 
as  they  are  for  genealogical  purposes,  are  not  alwaj-s  free  from  mistakes.  Nearly 
all  the  interests  of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche  having  lain  in  Aberdeenshire, 
the  slip  is  easy  to  understand.  There  is  no  parish  in  Aberdeenshire  with  a  name 
resembling  "  Forden." 

5  Genealogical  Collections  concerning  Families  in  Scotland,  by  Walter  Mac- 
farlane,  1750-1  :  "  Mr.  James,  fifth  son  to  Alexander,  Laird  of  Pitcaple,  after 
his  brother  James'  death  got  the  lands  of  Daviot.  He  married  Christian  Arbuthnot, 
daughter  to  James  Arbuthnot  of  Le.itush.  He  died  sans  issue."  In  the  History 
of  the  Leslie  Faryiily,  Colonel  Leslie  mentions  a  Janet  Arbuthnot,  "  daughter  to 
the  Laird  of  Netherdulan,"  married  to  John  Leslie,  third  son  of  Alexander  Leslie, 
fourth  Baron  of  Pitcaple. 


120  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

V.  ?  Marjorie,  in  1572-3  the  wife  of  John  Mar,  burgess 
of  Aberdeen.  An  entry  in  the  Aberdeen  Burgh 
Register  of  Sasines  runs  as  follows  :  "  February  4, 
1572-3,  Sasine  of  John  Mar,  burgess  of  Aberdeen, 
and  Marjorie  Arbuthnot,  his  spouse  (by  John 
Arbuthnot  her  attorney),  in  a  tenement  in  Aber- 
deen, on  resignation  by  James  Nicholson,  writer, 
burgess  of  Edinburgh.  Witnesses  to  the  sasine 
are  James  Arbuthnot  in  Keir,  and  David  Arbuthnot 
his  brother,  and  Captain  James  Arbuthnot."  It 
will  be  remembered  that  James  Arbuthnot  of 
Lentusche  held  land  in  Keir.  If  the  John  Ar- 
buthnot referred  to  was  James's  eldest  son,  then 
this  is  the  first  mention  of  him  so  far  discovered. 
The  "  Captain  James  Arbuthnot  "  might  perhaps 
be  James,  second  of  Lentusche.  In  the  same 
year,  "  Lieutenant  James  Arbuthnot "  is  men- 
tioned in  a  pacification  granted  to  the  Earl  of 
Huntly  and  other  rebels.' 

In  1576  there  is  mention  of  a  "  Captain  James  Arbuthnot," 
then  deceased,  who  was  the  husband  of  Agnes  Bertane  and 
had  some  transactions  about  a  house  in  the  Cowgate,  Edin- 
burgh, which  he  rented  from  John  Hoy.  In  these  trans- 
actions Alexander  Arbuthnot  the  printer  and  his  son,  James, 
then  an  infant,  are  mentioned.' 

We  must  now  take  up  the  line  of  the  Lairds  of  Cairngall. 
"  The  Memory  of  the  Arbuthnots  of  Cairngall  has  been  long 
since  totally  forgot,"  writes  John  Moir,  in  a  passage  that 
reads  like  an  epitaph  on  a  vanished  line.  "  This  is  of  the 
less  importance,"  he  continues,  "  as  that  family  and  the 
succeeding  one  of  Forbes  are  both  extinct."  '     Some  little 

•  Registers  of  the  Privy  Council  of  Scotland,  vol.  ii.  p.  199. 

»  Registers  of  Deeds,  vol.   15. 

3  Moir  was  mistaken  as  to  the  extinction  of  the  Forbes  family.  Several 
of  its  members  were  living  when  he  wrote,  though  no  longer  in  possession  of 
Cairngall.  Miss  M.  Forbes,  at  present  (1919)  living  in  Peterhead,  is  the  last  Hneal 
descendant  of  the  Forbes  of  Cairngall.  The  estate  of  Cairngall  passed  away 
from  this  family  in  1803,  when  it  was  sold  by  Mr.  Duncan  Forbes  to  Mr.  John 
Hutchison,  of  Peterhead,  and  is  now  owned  by  the  latter's  grandson.  Major  W.  E. 
Hutchison,  who  takes  a  great  interest  in  the  past  history  of  his  property, 
and  most  courteously  allowed  the  writer  every  facility  when,  with  Miss  Violet 
Arbuthnot-Leslie,  she  visited   it  in  the  summer  of    1917.      Cairngall  has  been 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  121 

information  can,  however,  be  collected  with  regard  to  the 
Cairngall  Arbuthnots,  who  owned  that  estate  from  1591  to 
1748,  after  which  it  remained  in  the  hands  of  their  descendants, 
the  Forbes',  till  1803. 

John  Arbuthnot,  first  Laird  of  Cairngall,  is  first  heard  of 
when,  no  doubt  as  quite  a  young  man,  he  took  part  with  his 
father  in  the  Earl  of  Angus's  rebellion  in  1584-5.  We  have 
seen  that  he  was  put  to  the  horn  in  1584,  in  which  year  he 
resided  in  "  Overtoun  of  Belhelvie."  The  following  year, 
31st  March,  1585,  John  Arbuthnot,  "  son  and  apparent  heir 
of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche,"  was  relaxed  from  horning.' 
The  previous  year,  his  uncle,  David  Arbuthnot,  had  been 
relaxed,  and  in  January,  1585-6,  John  and  David  Arbuthnot 
obtained  the  escheat  of  Thomas  Ker,  burgess  of  Aberdeen, 
"  who  is  at  the  horn  at  the  instance  of  John  Arbuthnot,  son 
of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche,  and  David  Arbuthnot, 
for  not  rendering  to  them  the  lands  of  Overtoun  and  Langseat 
in  the  Barony  of  Belhelveis."  Thomas  Ker,  during  the  out- 
lawry of  the  Arbuthnots,  had,  with  others,  possessed  himself 
of  their  estates,  but  this  incident  has  been  fully  treated  under 
James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche.  In  1586  we  come  on  the 
signature  of  "  John  Arbuthnot  of  Portertown  "  to  a  Charter.' 
Unless  this  is  an  error  for  "  James,"  it  would  seem  to  imply 
that  John  Arbuthnot  at  that  date  occupied  the  lands  once 
in  possession  of  his  grandfather.  His  father,  however,  signed 
"  of  Portertown "  in  1607.3  In  1587  he  is  referred  to  as 
"  of  Legland."  ■•  In  February  that  year  he  got  the  escheat 
of  William  Leslie,  as  we  have  seen.' 

John  Arbuthnot  was  infeft  in  Cairngall  on  21st  December, 
1591,  and  on  that  occasion  signed  himself  "  of  Leggisland." 
The  estate  was  purchased  for  him  by  his  father  from  Sir  John 
Gordon  of  Pitlurg.^     Unimportant  notices  of  him  are  found 

judiciously  enlarged,  but  part  of  it  is  old,  though  probably  no  portion  of  the 
present  building  was  standing  when  the  lands  became  the  property  of  John 
Arbuthnot  in  1591.  Within  the  last  few  years  some  old  stones  marked  "  J.  A." 
are  said  to  have  been  found  on  one  of  the  farms  belonging  to  the  estate. 

■  Aberdeen  Homings. 

'  Registnim  Magni  Sigilli  Regum  Scoiorum,  v.,  No.   1142. 

3  See  p.   113. 

4  Registers  of  the  Privy  Council  of  Scotland,  iv.  237.  J  P.  96. 

«  The  Deed  of  Infeftment  is  given  in  full  in  Appendix  II.     Legasland  had 
to  the  Traill  family  by   1608. 


122  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

in  various  documents,  including  the  Registers  of  the  Privy 
Council,  in  1591,  1601,  1610,  etc.  He  was  at  the  horn  in  1598 
for  non-payment  of  500  merks  to  a  creditor." 

In  1600  John  Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall  was  surety  for 
Patrick  Johnston,  his  son-in-law,  that  he  would  appear  and 
answer  for  his  attack  on  Sir  John  Lindsay  of  Ballinscho. 

On  31st  July,  1600,  Lord  Glamis,  as  has  been  said,  ob- 
tained decreet  of  removing  against  John  Arbuthnot,  his 
father,  and  others,  to  remove  from  their  lands  in  Belhelvie, 
and  on  i6th  May,  1601,  they  were  put  to  the  horn  for  not 
having  complied  with  the  order.  The  letters  were  dated 
loth  March,  1601,  and  were  "  executed  on  28th  April,  1601, 
against  John  Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall,  at  his  dwelling-place 
of  Cairngall,  the  letters  being  delivered  to  his  wife,  as  he 
was  not  present."  This  is  the  only  mention  yet  found  of 
the  wife  of  the  first  Laird  of  Cairngall.  Nothing  is  known  of 
her,  but  we  shall  presently  suggest  that  she  may  have  been  a 
Ramsay  of  Legasland.  On  8th  February,  1602,  there  is 
"  Registration  of  Bond  by  James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche 
and  John  Arbuthnot  of  Carnigall,  narrating  action  of  removing 
at  the  instance  of  Patrick,  Lord  Glamis,  against  them  and 
their  tenants  of  the  lands  of  Egie  and  Keir  in  the  parish  of 
Belhelvie,  in  which  they  have  found  William  Leslie  of  Wart- 
hill  cautioner  for  payment  of  the  violent  profits,  and  now  they 
obhge  themselves  to  relieve  their  said  cautioner."  ' 

On  13th  March,  1606,  we  find  a  "  Complaint  by  Mr. 
William  Leshe  of  Warthill  that  Johnne  Arbuthnot  of  Carnegill, 
who  had  been  denounced  on  13th  August,  1602,  for  not 
relieving  complainer  of  all  the  articles  in  a  decree  of  the 
Lords  of  Council  and  Session  of  date  2nd  February,  1601, 
obtained  by  .  .  .  Lord  Glamis  against  the  said  Arbuthnot, 
as  principal,  and  complainer  as  cautioner  for  him,  remains 
still  unrelaxed,"  etc.  Defender  failing  to  appear,  there  is 
decree  against  him. 

In  1609  there  is  "  Inhibition  at  the  instance  of  John 
Arbuthnot  of  Carnegall  against  George  Leslie  of  Crachie, 
brother-german  and  heir  of  conquest  to  the  deceased  Mr. 
WiUiam  Leshe  of  Warthill,  for  rehef  and  warrandice  of  the 
said  John  Arbuthnot  at  the  hands  of  Patrick,  Earl  of  Kinghorne, 

■  Aberdeenshire  Homings,  vol.  8.  »  Register  oj  Deeds,  vol.  84. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  123 

Lord  Glamis,'  in  respect  of  the  decreet  of  removing  obtained 
at  the  instance  of  the  said  Earl  before  the  Lords  of  Council 
on  31st  July,  1600,  decerning  the  complainer  and  the  deceased 
James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche,  his  father,"  and  others,  "  to 
remove  from  the  lands  of  Keir  and  Egie  in  the  parish  of 
Belhelvies," '  etc. 

The  last  we  hear  of  this  affair  is  in  1610,  in  which  year 
there  is  "  Complaint  by  Patrick  Earl  of  Kinghorne,  that 
George  Leslie  of  Crechie  and  Patrick  Cone  of  Auchry  remain 
unrelaxed  from  a  horning  of  5th  July  last,  the  former  for 
not  paying  the  said  Earl  the  violent  profits  mentioned  in  the 
decreet  of  25th  July,  1607,  recovered  by  him  thereupon, 
and  the  latter  for  not  entering  Johnne  Arbuthnot  of  Darnegaw 
in  ward  in  the  tolbooth  of  Edinburgh."  '  The  defenders  not 
appearing,  decree  was  entered  against  them. 

Retracing  our  steps,  we  find  that  in  1605  John  Arbuthnot 
of  Cairngall,  with  his  brother  William  (who  died  the  following 
year),  was  called  as  next  of  kin  to  Andrew  Leshe,  son  of  his 
sister  Helen,  who  had  married  John  Leslie  of  Boigs.  The 
next-of-kin  on  the  father's  side  were  John  Leslie  of  Balquhaine 
and  his  brother,  Wilham  Leslie  of  Civilie.i 

In  1607  John  Arbuthnot's  unruly  temperament  would 
seem  to  have  embroiled  him  with  his  neighbours,  for  in  that 
year  he  entered  into  a  bond  not  to  harm  various  people  in 
Belhelvie,  of  the  names  of  Skene,  Lyon,  Jaffray,  Wishart, 
Symsone,  and  many  others.  He  no  doubt  shared  to  the  full 
the  rough  manners  of  the  time,  when  the  small  lairds,  faith- 
fully imitating  the  customs  of  the  greater  nobility,  spent  their 
time  in  raids  on  one  another's  properties  and  in  acts  of  oppres- 
sion and  violence,  while  every  man's  home  was  by  force  of 
circumstances  obliged  to  be  also  his  fortress. 

In  1618  the  original  charter  of  the  lands  of  Cairngall  was 
confirmed  by  the  Earl  of  Mar  as  superior  of  the  lands,  and 

■  Lord  Glamis  was  created  Earl  of  Kinghorne  in  1606.  In  1677,  his  grandson 
obtained,  by  special  charter,  an  addition  to  the  title,  which  was  in  future  to  be 
that  of  Earl  of  Strathmore  and  Kinghorne,  retaining  the  precedence  of  the  former 
honour  of  Earl  of  Kinghorne.  The  present  holder  of  the  title  is  fourteenth  Earl 
of  Strathmore  and   Kinghorne. 

>  Aberdeenshire  Hornings,  vols.   14  and   15. 

3  Registers  of  the  Privy  Council,  vol.  i.x.  p.  82. 

4  Aberdeen  Sheriff  Court  Books,  vol.  ii.  p.  56. 


124  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

this  Charter  of  Confirmation,  in  which  both  John  Arbuthnot 
and  his  father,  James  of  Lentusche,  are  named,  is  in  possession 
of  Major  Hutchison  of  Cairngall. 

As  has  been  stated,  we  do  not  know  the  name  of  John 
Arbuthnot's  wife.  She  was  certainly  Hving  in  1601,  receiving 
the  letters  of  horning  directed  against  her  husband  at  Cairn- 
gall in  that  year.  In  1588  there  is  mention  of  a  John 
Arbuthnot,  brother-in-law  to  John  Ramsay  in  Lawes,  these 
two  receiving  in  that  year  letters  of  remission  from  the  King 
for  the  slaying  of  Thomas  Air  in  Ardowny.'  This  may  be  some 
other  person,  but  as  there  were  Ramsays  living  close  to 
Legasland,  and  John  Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall  was  "  of  Legas- 
land  "  at  the  commencement  of  his  career,  it  is  possible  that 
he  may  have  married  a  Ramsay.' 

The  date  of  John  Arbuthnot's  death  is  unknown. 

John  Arbuthnot,  first  Laird  of  Cairngall,  had  at  least 
two  sons  and  one  daughter — 

I.  John,  second  Laird  of  Cairngall,  of  whom  presently. 
II.  Alexander.3 

I.  Margaret,  who  married  first  Patrick  Johnston  in 
Haltown  of  Belhelvie  (murdered  in  1601  by  Lord 
Glamis) ,  by  whom  she  had  eight  children  ;  secondly 
(9th  July,  1603)  Alexander  Cheyne,  a  cadet  of  the 
ancient  family  of  Cheyne  of  Essilmont,^  by  whom 
she  had  no  issue  ;  and  thirdly,  probably  in  1605, 
John  Gordon  of  Chapeltown  of  Essilmont,  and  of 
Sheills,  by  whom  it  seems  certain  that  she  was  the 
mother  of  Beatrix  Gordon,  born  1606,  who  after- 
wards married  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Scotsmill,  and 
was  grandmother  of  Doctor  John  Arbuthnot. 

'  Regislrum  Magni  Sigilli  Regun  Scotonim,  vol.  v.  No.   1509. 

=  The  will  of  Gilbert  Ramsay  in  Legasland  is  recorded  in  i5o8,  he  having  died 
in  1597.  It,  however,  j-ields  no  information.  His  name  is  found  elsewhere  in 
connection  with  that  of  John  Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall,  for  it  appears  that  in  1590 
John  Arbuthnot  was  surety  for  William  Leslie  of  Dyce  and  Gilbert  Ramsay  "  of 
Leggisland,"  that  they  would  not  harm  George  Lundy,  apparent  of  Gorthie. — 
Registers  of  the  Privy  Council  of  Scotland,  iv.  p.  535. 

3  This  Alexander  appears  to  have  been  "  in  Cairngall,"  and  to  have  had  two 
natural  sons  baptized  in   1630. — Longside  Parish  Registers. 

4  He  was  son  of  William  Cheyne  of  Arnage,  and  grandson  of  John  Cheyne 
of  Fortree,  nephew  to  Sir  Patrick  Cheyne  of  Essilmont. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  125 

This  daughter,  Margaret,  we  now  propose  to  treat  at  some 
length,  for  much  genealogical  interest  attaches  to  her  third 
marriage,  while  the  circumstances  connected  with  the  murder 
of  her  first  husband  have  come  down  to  us  in  extraordinary 
detail.  We  will  take  first  the  genealogical  points.  If  the 
reader  will  turn  to  the  illustrated  birthbrief  facing  p.  162,  in 
which  is  depicted  the  descent  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Rouen, 
brother  of  Doctor  Arbuthnot,  and  will  follow  the  paternal 
hne  back  to  Robert  Arbuthnot's  grandfather,  he  will  notice 
that  the  latter  married  a  Gordon,  daughter  of  "  Gordon  of 
Shoils,  a  son  of  Letterfury,  2nd  or  3rd  son  of  the  Earl 
of  Huntly,"  by  his  wife,  "  dau  to  Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall." 

Though    the    names   are  given   as   " Arbuthnot "   and 

" Gordon,"  we  know  from  other  sources  that  the  grand- 
parents of  Dr.  John  Arbuthnot  were  Robert  Arbuthnot  of 
Scotsmill  and  Beatrix  Gordon.' 

The  attempt  to  follow  up  the  traces  of  John  Gordon  of 
Sheills,  third  husband  of  Margaret  Arbuthnot,  and  father  of 
Beatrix  Gordon,  has  occasioned  many  hours  of  research  and 
much  reflection.  The  facts  that  have  come  to  light  in  the 
course  of  the  inquiry  are,  roughly,  as  follows  : 

On  Margaret  Arbuthnot's  second  marriage  in  1603  to 
Alexander  Cheyne,  the  mill  and  mill  lands  of  Essilmont  were 
settled  upon  her  in  liferent,  and  were  doubtless  occupied  by 
her  during  her  second  widowhood  and  after  her  third  marriage. 
By  Alexander  Cheyne  she  apparently  had  no  children,  for 
his  sisters,  Isobel  and  Marjorie  (married  respectively  to 
John  Bruce  of  Meikle  Mill  of  Essilmont  and  James  Johnston 
in  Isaacstown)  were  served  and  retoured  heirs  to  Alexander 

I  See  Forbes'  Life  of  Dr.  Beattie,  Aitken's  Life  of  Dr.  John  Arbuthnot,  etc. 
There  is  a  tablet  to  the  memory  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  and  Beatrix  Gordon  in  old 
St.  Fergus  Churchyard,  near  Peterhead.  In  Buchan's  Peterhead  {1819)  and  in 
the  New  Statistical  Account  of  Scotland  it  is  stated  that  the  tablet  bears  the  arms 
of  Arbuthnot  quartered  with  Gordon,  and  other  authorities  also  speak  of  a  quar- 
tered coat.  The  stone  is  too  much  worn  away  with  time  to  help  us  in  any  way, 
which  is  much  to  be  regretted,  as  the  arrangement  of  coats  of  arms  is  often  a 
material  help  in  throwing  light  upon  a  pedigree.  Some  photographs  of  the  stone 
have  been  submitted  to  a  correspondent  much  interested  in  heraldry,  and,  after 
a  careful  examination  with  a  magnifying-glass,  he  has  given  a  definite  opinion 
that  the  stone  once  bore  the  Arbuthnot  arms  with  some  other  arms  on  an  inescut- 
cheon  of  pretence.  This  is  the  arrangement  we  should  expect  to  find,  since  the 
arms  are  clearly  not  impaled,  and  could  not  correctly  be  quartered.  For  some 
further  remarks  on  this  subject  see  p.  149. 


126  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

Cheyne,  who  left  to  Margaret  Arbuthnot  a  liferent  of  two- 
thirds  of  the  town  and  lands  of  Gray's  Fortree  and  part  of 
the  Meikle  Mill  of  Essilmont.  In  the  year  1614  there  was 
a  controversy  between  Margaret  and  her  two  sisters-in-law 
and  their  husbands,  John  Bruce  claiming  that  certain  sums 
were  owing  to  him  as  creditor  of  Alexander  Cheyne,  while 
Margaret  counter-claimed  the  liferent  charged  upon  the  land 
which  had  now  passed  to  him.  Both  sisters  further  complained 
that  Margaret  had  failed  to  produce  2,000  merks  of  tocher 
on  the  occasion  of  her  marriage  with  their  brother.  The 
issue  of  these  proceedings  does  not  appear." 

In  this  same  year  there  was  an  Act  of  Curatory  for  the 
children  of  Margaret  Arbuthnot  by  her  first  husband,  Patrick 
Johnston,  and  among  the  next-of-kin  called  were  John 
Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall  and  Norman  Arbuthnot,  his  brother. 
John  Gordon  "  of  Chapeltown  "  is  mentioned  in  connection 
with  it,  the  minors  choosing  him  to  act  for  thern.'- 

It  would  seem  that  as  during  Margaret's  lifetime  her  third 
husband,  John  Gordon,  was  consistently  described  as  "  in 
Chapeltown  of  Essilmont,"  the  interest  in  that  estate  was 
undoubtedly  hers.  We  can  probably  assume  that  she  was 
dead  by  1625,  when  Wilham  Bruce,  son  of  John  Bruce  of 
Gray's  Fortree  (and  nephew  of  her  second  husband,  Alex- 
ander Cheyne)  brought  an  action  against  "  John  Gordoun  in 
Scheallis,"  the  claim  being  for  "  the  rent  of  the  third  part  of  the 
toimi  and  lands  of  Chapeltoun.''^  Henceforward  John  Gordon 
is  always  referred  to  as  "  of  Sheills."  In  1633  "  John  Gordon 
of  Sheills "  "  compeired "  in  the  presence  of  the  Lords  of 
Secret  Council  and  became  cautioner  and  surety  for  Thomas 
Gordon,  brother  of  James  Gordon  of  Letterfourie,  "  that  the 
said  Thomas  sail  ather  depart  furth  of  his  Majesteis  domin- 
iouns  "  before  "  the  last  day  of  Aprile  nixtocome,"  or  else 
that  he  shall  "  resort  to  the  parish  kirk  and  hear  sermoun 
and  that  he  sail  behave  himself  modesthe  without  giving  of 
offence  and  scandall  to  the  kirk,"  etc' 

»  The  above  facts  are  all  taken  from  the  Aberdeenshire  Inhibitions  and  Homings, 
vol.   17. 

>  Records  of  the  Sheriff  Court  of  Aberdeen,  vol.  ii.  p.  69. 

3  See  Records  of  the  Sheriff  Court  of  Aberdeen,  edited  by  David  Littlejohn, 
vol.  ii.  p.  283. 

4  Registers  of  the  Privy  Council  of  Scotland,  vol.  v.,  2nd  Series,  p.  24. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  127 

On  26th  March,  1635,  George  Marquis  of  Huntly  and 
others,  including  James  Gordon  of  Letterfourie,  subscribed 
a  bond  undertaking  that  James  Crichton  of  Fendraught, 
"  his  wife,  barnes,  men,  tennents  and  servants  sail  be  harm- 
lesse  and  scaithlesse  in  their  bodeis,  persons,  lands,"  etc. 
Among  the  witnesses  is  John  Gordon  of  Sheills.' 

In  1643  John  Gordon  of  Sheills  was  the  husband  of 
"  Magdalen  Straquhan,  widow  of  William  Wood  of  Colpnay."  * 
In  1648  he  was  witness  to  a  birthbrief  granted  to  prove  the 
descent  of  Adam  Gordon,  "  principall  and  professor  of  the 
Greik  Tongue  in  the  colledge  of  Mell  in  France."  3 

Concerning  the  murder  of  Patrick  Johnston,  which  took 
place  on  the  6th  September,  1601,  a  considerable  amount  of 
detail  has  been  recorded,  although  the  causes  of  the  tragedy 
are  perhaps  not  altogether  clear.  From  entries  in  the  Privy 
Council  Registers  it  appears  that  during  the  year  1600  Lord 
Glamis  had  cause  of  complaint  against  Patrick  Johnston, 
his  tenant  and  retainer,  who,  by  a  reckless  act,  had  come 
near  embroihng  him  with  his  hereditary  foes  the  Lindsays 
— the  ancient  feud  between  the  two  families  of  Lyon  and 
Lindsay  having  been  but  recently  (and,  of  course,  only 
superficially)  suspended. 

In  this  curious  and  rather  obscure  affair  Lord  Glamis 
appears  in  the  surprising  character  of  avenger  of  one  of  the 
Lindsays,  who  had  suffered  an  outrage  at  the  hands  of  one 
of  his  followers. 

In  a  complaint  drawn  up  by  the  victim,  Sir  John  Lindsay, 
we  read  as  follows  :  "  On  a  Sunday  in  January,  1600,  while 
going  to  church,  he  had  accidentally  met  on  the  high  street 
of  Edinburgh  Patrik  Lord  Glamis.  For  the  reverence  they 
bore  to  his  Majesty  and  for  observing  the  assurance  between 
them,  they  passed  by  one  another  without  provocation  by 
word  or  countenance,  the  pursuer  thus  looking  for  no  further 
trouble  to  have  fallen  out.  But,  after  they  had  passed, 
Patrik  Johnston,  in  .  .  .  who  was  in  the  said  Lord's  company, 
'  drew  his  sword,  invaidit  and  persewit  the  said  complainer 
of  his  lyfe,  and  strak  and  cuttit  throw  the  schoulder  of  his 

■  Registers  of  the  Privy  Council  of  Scotland,  2nd  Series,  vol.  v.,  pp.  528-9. 
>  Records  of  the  Sheriff  Court  of  Aberdeen,  vol.  ii.  p.  508. 
3  Spalding  Club  Miscellany,  vol.  v.  pp.  332-3. 


128  MEMORIES    OF    THE    AEBUTHNOTS 

cloik,  coit  and  doublet,  without  the  allowance  of  the  said 
Lord  Glamis.'  "  ' 

The  outrage  occurred  on  the  13th  January,  1600,  and  two 
days  later  Lord  Glamis  appeared  before  the  Privy  Council 
at  Holyrood  and  "  disowns  all  connection  of  mastership  with 
Patrik  Johnnestoun,  who  upon  13th  instant  '  invaidit  and 
persewit '  Sir  Johnne  Lindsay  of  Ballinscho  on  the  high  street 
and  calsey  of  Edinburgh  ;  promises  to  do  his  diligence  to 
present  the  said  Johnnestoun  before  the  King  and  Council 
for  punishment,  and  consents  that  if  he  shall  reset  or  maintain 
the  said  Johnnestoun  hereafter,  it  shall  be  esteemed  a  break 
of  assurance."  An  order  was  issued  to  "  charge  Patrick 
Johnnestoun  in  ...  to  appear  personally  and  answer,  under 
pain  of  rebelHon,  touching  the  crime  aforesaid,  committed 
by  him  without  the  consent  or  knowledge  of  Lord  Glamis, 
in  whose  company  he  had  been  for  the  time,  thus  occasioning 
further  trouble  between  the  said  Lord  and  the  house  of 
Crawford." 

Patrick  Johnston  was  summoned  to  appear  before  the 
Privy  Council  on  6th  March,  to  answer  for  his  offence,  but, 
failing  to  put  in  an  appearance,  was  that  day  denounced 
rebel  for  "  having  failed  to  appear  this  day  as  charged,  to 
answer  touching  his  '  lait  violent  and  unhonnest  persute  and 
invasioun  of  Sir  Johne  Lyndsay  of  Ballinscho,"  etc. 

On  17th  March  Johnston  undertook  once  more  to  present 
himself  before  the  Privy  Council,  John  Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall 
being  surety  for  him  in  the  sum  of  500  merks  that  he  would 
appear  on  the  20th  May  before  the  King  and  Council  and 
answer  "  touching  the  invasioun  "  of  Sir  John  Lindsay.  It 
was  probably  on  account  of  their  support  of  Patrick  Johnston, 
that,  on  31st  July,  1600,  Lord  Glamis  obtained  decreet  of 
removing  against  James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche  and  others, 
including  "  Henry  Arbuthnot,"  to  remove  from  the  lands  of 
Keir  and  Egie  in  the  parish  of  Belhelvie.'  Nearly  a  year 
later,  i6th  May,  1601,  the  same  persons  were,  at  the 
instance  of  Lord  Glamis,  put  to  the  horn  for  not  obeying 
the  removal  order.^ 

1  Registers  of  the  Privy  Council,  vol.  vi.  p.  239, 

2  Aberdeenshire  Mornings,  vols.  14-15. 

3  Ibid.,  vol.   10. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  129 

On  27th  January,  1601,  Lord  Glamis  found  caution  in 
the  sum  of  3,000  merks  not  to  harm  "  Johne  Arbuthnot  of 
Carnegall  and  Patrick  Johnnstoun  in  Haltoun."  ' 

On  i6th  February,  1601,  "  John  Arbuthnot  of  Carngalt 
and  Patrick  Johnnestoun  in  Haltoun,"  found  caution  not  to 
harm  a  number  of  persons,  among  whom  are  several  of  the 
name  of  Lyon,  and,  strange  to  say,  "  Henry  Arbuthnot." 
In  February  and  March  they  were  still  at  the  horn,'  doubtless 
in  connection  with  this  affair. 

Although,  as  we  have  seen.  Lord  Glamis  had  received 
considerable  provocation  from  his  vassal,  yet  the  extreme 
rage  that  drove  him  to  take  the  life  of  Patrick  Johnston  in 
cold  blood  a  short  time  later  is  difficult  to  understand.  Taking 
into  consideration  the  ideas  of  the  time,  Patrick  Johnston 
had  erred  from  an  excess  of  zeal  which  his  over-lord,  of  all 
people,  might  be  supposed  to  regard  with  a  lenient  eye.  The 
outrage  had  not  ended  fatally,  and  Lord  Glamis  had  certainly 
no  love  for  the  Lindsays,  for  a  few  years  later  he  preferred 
to  go  abroad  rather  than  submit  the  hereditary  feud  to 
arbitration  or  to  take  legitimate  legal  steps  against  the  Earl  of 
Crawford  for  the  murder  (accidental,  as  the  Lindsays  claimed) 
of  Lord  Glamis's  father.  Doubtless  we  have  only  half  the 
story  before  us.  All  that  we  know  for  certain  is  that  on 
Sunday,  6th  September,  1601,  Patrick  Johnston,  with  his 
wife,  Margaret  Arbuthnot,  and  his  "  twa  young  bairnes," 
were  present  in  the  church  of  Belhelvie  at  a  baptismal  service 
— perhaps  for  one  of  their  own  children.  Lord  Glamis  must 
have  had  notice  that  Johnston  was  to  be  present  and  unpro- 
tected on  this  occasion,  for  during  the  service  he  and  five 
friends  (two  of  them  members  of  the  Lyon  family)  surrounded 
the  church. 

Possibly  some  unusual  sounds  caused  the  doomed  man 
to  start  up  and  hasten  out  of  the  church  before  the  service 
was  over,  for  we  learn  from  the  minister's  subsequent  deposi- 
tion before  the  Presbytery  of  Aberdeen,  that  at  the  moment 
of  the  attack  he  was  "  not  cum  furtht  of  the  pulpit  in  the 
actione  of  baptisme."  The  minister  also  testified  "  that  he 
was  compellit  to  desist  fra  the  actione  of  baptisme  and  to 

«  Registers  of  the  Privy  Council,  vol.  vi.  p.  675, 
'  Ibid.,  vol.  vi.  pp.  677-8. 


130  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

cum  furtht  to  the  kirke  yarde  to  sie  gif  he  suld  stay  the 
truble." 

Thomas  Skeyne,  "  kirk  officear "  of  Belhelvie,  also  gave 
his  evidence  before  the  Presbytery,  and,  being  examined  as 
to  whether  Lord  Glamis  was  the  first  to  draw  the  sword — 
a  point  of  some  importance — "  deponis  he  saw  the  said  Patrik 
Lord  Glammis  drew  the  first  suerde,  and  than  beand  furcht 
of  the  kirke  yard,  he  and  his  comphces  came  within  the  same 
againe,  and  persewit  the  said  umquhill  Patrick  within  the 
said  kirke  yard,  distant  fra  the  said  kirke  dur  twa  space  or 
thairby." 

Patrick  Johnston  was  unarmed,  and  his  murderous 
assailants  made  but  short  work  of  him,  flying  precipitately 
as  soon  as  the  deed  was  accomplished.  Both  the  minister 
and  Thomas  Skeyne  deposed  that  "  they  saw  na  man  with 
Patrik  Johnstonn  that  day  to  assist  or  to  resist  the  invasioun, 
bot  his  wyff  and  twa  young  bairnes  of  young  yeiris,  within 
9  yeiris  auld  the  eldest,"  etc. 

In  the  subsequent  complaint  to  the  Kirk,  John  Johnston  of 
that  Ilk  appeared  on  behalf  of  "  Margaret  Arbuthnot,  relicque 
of  umquhill  Patrik  Johnstoun,  in  the  Haltoun  of  Balhelvies,  and 
the  said  umquhill  Patrik's  aucht  fayerless  bairnes" — showing 
that  Margaret  was  at  that  time  the  mother  of  eight  children. 

Lord  Glamis  having,  with  notable  celerity,  obtained  a 
pardon  from  the  King  for  this  outrage  (letters  of  remission 
being  dated  at  Falkland  15th  September,  1601,  exactly  nine 
days  after  the  event),  he  may  perhaps  have  anticipated  that 
the  incident  would  be  consigned  to  wholesome  oblivion.  But 
the  outrage  had  been  committed  on  holy  ground,  and  the 
Kirk,  whose  independence  is  characteristic,  considered  itself 
gravely  offended.  Ignoring  the  Royal  pardon,  it  continued, 
during  that  and  the  following  year,  to  press  for  "  satisfaction  " 
— which  we  are  hardly  surprised  to  find  was  not  forthcoming. 
The  replies  received  from  Lord  Glamis  were  of  an  evasive  and 
unsatisfactory  character,  and  the  Kirk  finally  proceeded  to 
its  last  resource — that  of  excommunicating  the  young  chief- 
tain— a  punishment  that  perhaps  did  not  weigh  very  heavily 
on  his  not  too  sensitive  soul.' 

I  See  Selections  from  the  Records  of  the  Kirk  Session,  Presbytery  avd  Synod 
of  Aberdeen,  edited  by  E.  J.  Stuart,  for  the  details  of  this  affair. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  131 

John  Arbuthnot,  second  Laird  of  Cairngall,  of  whom  our 
knowledge  is  very  vague  and  shadowy,  is  first  mentioned  in 
1590,  when,  as  we  have  seen,  he  got  the  escheat  of  his  father 
and  grandfather,  they  being  at  the  horn.  In  1609,  still  during 
his  father's  lifetime,  he  seems  to  have  been  in  occupation  of 
the  lands  of  Portertown,  for  on  6th  May,  that  year,  "  John 
Arbuthnot,  lawful  son  of  John  Arbuthnot  of  Carnegaw," 
brought  an  action  against  Grizel  Leslie  for  "  spoliation  in 
1607  and  1608  from  his  town  and  lands  of  Portertown,  of 
goods,  cattle,  money,  writs,"  etc 

In  1613  "  John  Arbuthnot,  younger,"  brings  an  action 
against  Thomas  Body  in  Peterhead,  for  "  spoliation  of 
victual  from  the  lands  of  Cairngall," '  suggesting  that  he 
had  an  interest  in  those  lands  also  during  his  father's 
lifetime. 

In  April,  1637,  John  Arbuthnot  and  his  eldest  son  John 
were  involved  as  cautioners  in  some  legal  affair,  and  the  town 
and  lands  of  Old  and  New  Cairngall,  with  Auchitteries,  Mill 
of  Cairngall  and  other  lands,  were  apprised  from  the  former 
for  debt  by  Sir  William  Dick  of  Braid,  merchant-burgess  of 
Edinburgh.  The  lands  were  recovered  by  his  son  in  1655, 
they  having  by  that  time  come  into  the  possession  of  John 
Forbes  of  Largy,  and  in  the  latter  year  the  elder  John  is 
spoken  of  as  "  the  deceased  John  Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall." 
He  was  certainly  dead  before  1654. 

In  1641  Longside  was  erected  into  a  separate  parish. 
We  find  John  Arbuthnot  mentioned  as  a  landowner  in 
the  parish  that  year.  Another  is  Alexander  Forbes  of 
Boynlee. 

In  1647  John  Arbuthnot  disponed  some  lands  to  his 
daughter,  Ehzabeth,  as  we  shall  see. 

John  Arbuthnot  married  Margaret,  daughter  of  Alexander 
Forbes  of  Boynlee,  a  grandson  of  Alexander  Forbes,  sixth 
Laird  of  Pitsligo  (she  was  living  and  his  widow  in  1654), 3 
and  as  we  have  now  reached  a  point  where  the  parish  registers 

"  Aberdeenshire  Homings,  vols.   14,   15. 

'  Ibid.,  vol.  16.     A  witness  was  Thomas  Arbuthnot  in  Peterhead. 

3  See  Macfarlane's  Genealogies  and  Lumsden's  House  of  Forbes.  Her  Christian 
name  is  mentioned  in  some  MS.  Tables  of  Contents  of  the  Registers  of  Deeds 
and  Probative  Writs,  notes  from  which  were  kindly  sent  me  by  Mr.  David 
Little]  ohn. 


132  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

begin  to  help  us,  we  can  give  the  dates  of  birth  of  several 
of  his  children.     These  were,  so  far  as  we  know — 

I.  John,   his  heir,   third  Laird  of  Cairngall,   baptized 
at  Longside,  gth  July,  1622.     Of  him  presently. 

I.  Margaret,  baptized  at  Longside,  21st  November, 
1623  (on  this  occasion  her  father  was  described 
as  "  junior  of  Cairngall,"  showing  that  the  first 
Laird  was  still  alive). 
n.  Agnes,'  who  married  in  October,  1647/  Duncan 
Forbes,  minister  of  Pitsligo,  second  son  of  John 
Forbes  of  Byth — a  cadet  line  of  the  Forbes'  of 
Brux.  Her  name  is  mentioned  twenty  years 
later  (1667)  in  the  Great  Seal  Registers  on  the 
occasion  of  the  transfer  of  some  land  by  the 
Forbes'  of  Byth  to  Sir  John  Baird  of  Newbythe.' 
Her  grandson,  William  Forbes,  afterwards  suc- 
ceeded to  Cairngall  on  the  death  of  his  cousin, 
Alexander  Arbuthnot,  in  1748,^  and  from  him 
descended  a  line  of  Forbes'  of  Cairngall,  who 
possessed  the  property  until  1803,  when  it  passed 
by  purchase  to  the  Hutchisons  of  Cairngall,  who 
still  own  it. 
HL  Ehzabeth,  married  first  (in  1647)  Alexander  Martine, 
son  of  Mr.  James  Martine,  minister  of  Peterhead, 
and  evidently  her  cousin  (for  his  father  had 
married  Isobel  Arbuthnot,  unidentified)  .5 

On  the  occasion  of  this  marriage,  the  lands  of  Easter 
Auchitteries  in  the  parish  of  Longside  were  disponed  to 
Ehzabeth  and  Alexander,  under  reversion  for  3,000  merks. 
On  Alexander's  death,  his  interest  in  this  property  passed 
to  his  brother  Nathaniel  Martine,  Minister  at  Peterhead,  and 
Ehzabeth  having,  either  in  or  before  1660,  married,  secondly, 

■  See  Macfarlane's  Genealogies  and  Lumsden's  House  of  Forbes  for  her  mar- 
riage.    Her  name  is  not  found  in  the  parish  registers. 

»  Fasti  EcclesicB  Scoticance,  by  Hew  Scott,  vol.  iii.,  Pt.  2,  p.  590. 

3  Registrum  Magni  Sigilli  Regum  Scotorum,  xi.  No.   100 1. 

4  Services  of  Heirs  in  Scotland.  "  WilUam  Forbes  in  Rigends  of  Ivinminity 
to  his  cousin,  Alexander  Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall,  Heir-General,  dated  13th  Sep- 
tember, 1748." 

5  This  Isobel  may  possibly  have  been  a  sister  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Scots- 
mill.     See  p.  148  note. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  133 

George  Forbes  of  Aberdour/  Nathaniel  disponed  these  lands 
to  her  and  her  second  husband  in  the  latter  year.  In  1664 
Elizabeth  and  her  husband  renounced  their  title  to  these 
lands  in  favour  of  her  brother  John,  who  redeemed  them  for 
the  stipulated  3,000  merks.' 

IV.  Christian,  baptized  at  Longside,  24th  February, 
1628,  was  in  1657  the  "  promised  spouse  of  Mr. 
John  Stewart,  minister  of  Crimond,  son  of  Walter 
Stewart  of  Bogtoun." 
V.  Nicola,  whose  name  has  not  been  found  in  the  parish 
registers,  but  who  married  in  1652  Thomas  Forbes 
of  Todla  and  in  Auchtidonald,  brother  of  Duncan 
Forbes  of  Pitsligo,  above-mentioned.' 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  Arbuthnots  of  Cairngall 
frequently  intermarried  with  the  family  of  Forbes. 

John,  second  Laird  of  Cairngall,  died  before  1654,  as  we 
have  seen.     He  was  succeeded  by  his  son — 

John  Arbuthnot,  third  Laird  of  Cairngall,  who  was  baptized 
on  9th  July,  1622,  at  the  parish  church  of  Longside. 

On  8th  October,  1657,  there  was  registration  of  sasine 
to  him  of  "  the  town  and  lands  of  Old  and  New  Carngall, 
Auchitteries,  mill  of  Cairngall,"  etc.,  by  John  Forbes  of 
Largy,  these  lands  having  been  apprised  from  his  father  for 
debt  by  Sir  WiUiam  Dick  of  Braid,  "  merchant  burgess  of 
Edinburgh,"  in  1637.'' 

In  1663  he  got  sasine  of  the  "  town  and  lands  of  Cairngall 
and  mill  thereof,  fishings  on  the  water  of  Ugie,"  etc.,  on  a 
precept  of  Clare  Constat  by  John  Earl  of  Mar  to  him,  as 
"  heir  to  the  deceased  John  Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall,  his  father, 
called  younger,  who  was  son  of  the  deceased  John  Arbuthnot 
of  Cairngall,"  which  precept  is  dated  6th  May,  1662.5  We 
have  seen  that  in  1664  he  redeemed  the  lands  of  Auchitteries, 
disponed  to  his  sister  Elizabeth  on  her  first  marriage.     Of 

'  See  Lumsden's  House  of  Forbes,  where  Elizabeth  is  spoken  of  as  "  Isobel." 
"  Aberdeenshire  Sasines,  vol.  iii. 

3  See  Macfarlane's  Genealogies  and  Lumsden's  House  of  Forbes.  Her  Christian 
name  and  the  date  of  marriage  have  been  obtained  from  an  entry  in  an  old  Bible 
in  the  possession  of  Miss  Margaret  Forbes,  of  Merchant  Street,  Peterhead. 

4  Aberdeenshire  Sasines,  vol.  xix. 
•  Ibid.,  vol.  ii. 


134  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

him  John  Moir  remarks  that  he  was  "  a  truly  respectable 
man,  possessing  all  those  virtues  which  have  so  long  adorned 
the  name  of  Arbuthnot." 

John  Arbuthnot  married  first,  before  1664,  Catherine 
Urquhart,  of  whom  nothing  is  known  beyond  the  fact  that 
she  was  his  wife  in  that  year,  and  is  mentioned  in  the  deed 
of  redemption  of  the  lands  of  Auchitteries.  He  married 
secondly  Anna  Farquharson,  daughter  of  Alexander  Farquhar- 
son  of  Finzean,  the  marriage  contract  being  dated  29th 
November,  1669. 

By  his  first  wife  he  had  a  son — 

I.  John,  baptized  at  Longside,  loth  May,  1664 ;  must 
have  died  young. 

By  his  second  wife  he  had  six  sons,  as  follows  : 

n.  Alexander,    fourth    and    last    Laird    of    Cairngall, 

baptized  at  Longside,  4th  October,  1670. 
HL  John,   second  of  the  name,   baptized  at   Longside, 

17th  October,  1672  ;  died  young. 
IV.  George,  baptized  at  Longside,  30th  December,  1673. 
V.  Francis,  baptized  at  Longside,  24th  February,  1675. 
VI.  John,    third   of   the   name,    baptized   at    Longside, 

3rd  May,  1686 ;  buried  there,  3rd  January,  1701, 

aged  15. 
VII.  Thomas  (posthumous),  baptized  at  Longside,   23rd 

May,  1687. 

John,  third  Laird  of  Cairngall,  died  before  23rd  May, 
1687,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  eldest  son — 

Alexander  Arbuthnot,  fourth  Laird  of  Cairngall,  baptized 
at  Longside,  4th  October,  1670.  In  1687  there  was  an  act  of 
curatory  for  Alexander  Arbuthnot,  on  which  occasion  Robert, 
third  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  the  Rev.  Alexander  Arbuthnot 
(father  of  Dr.  John  Arbuthnot),  and  John  Arbuthnot  in  Rora 
were  called  as  next-of-kin  on  the  father's  side.  This  is  curious, 
seeming  to  imply  the  extinction  of  all  the  descendants  of  John 
Arbuthnot  of  Portertown  with  the  exception  of  the  Une  of  Cairn- 
gall, otherwise  there  would  not  have  been  recourse  to  so  distant 
a  relative  as  the  third  Viscount,  whose  presumed  relationship 
to  the  Cairngall  fine  is  shown  in  the  pedigree  at  the  end  of 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  135 

this  volume.  The  next-of-kin  on  the  mother's  side  were  Francis 
Farquharson  of  Finzean,  Donald  Farquharson  of  Balfour,  and 
Charles  Gordon  of  Blelack.  Francis  Farquharson  of  Finzean 
was  Alexander  Arbuthnot's  maternal  uncle,  as  was  also  Donald 
Farquharson  of  Balfour.  The  former  had  married  Marjorie 
Arbuthnot  of  the  Findowrie  line  (see  p.  54).  It  appears  that 
during  the  minority  of  the  young  Laird  of  Cairngall,  his 
estate  was  managed  by  some  of  the  Farquharsons,  for  we 
find  that  some  years  later  Alexander  Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall 
brought  an  action  against  "  Robert  Farquharson  of  Finzean," 
as  representing  the  deceased  Alexander  Farquharson  of 
Finzean,  described  as  "  the  complainer's  factor,"  for  some 
of  the  rents  of  Cairngall  and  other  moneys  due  to  him 
between  1709  and  1718.' 

In  1710  we  find  that  Alexander  Arbuthnot  was  carrying 
on  a  controversy  against  Thomas  Robertson,  schoolmaster 
at  Longside,  who  "  raised  letters  charging  the  said  Alexander 
Arbuthnot  to  compear  on  a  Sabbath  day  immediately  after 
divine  service  and  publicly  acknowledge  in  presence  of  the 
congregation  in  the  parish  church  of  Longside  his  fault  in 
slandering  the  said  Thomas  and  his  mother,  and  pay  £100 
Scots  of  damages  to  him,  in  terms  of  decreet  obtained  against 
the  said  Alexander  Arbuthnot  before  the  Commissaries  of 
Aberdeen  on  i6th  March,  1710.  .  .  .  The  Lords  ordain  the 
letters  to  take  effect  against  the  said  Alexander  Arbuthnot."  ' 

Two  days  later  we  find  the  following  :  "  Suspension  craved 
by  Alexander  Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall  against  Mr.  Thomas 
Robertson,  schoolmaster  at  Longside,  who  charged  him  to 
pay  10/-  Scots  as  the  price  of  each  peck  of  meal,  with  6/- 
sterling  as  the  price  of  a  book  entitled  The  Tale  of  a  Tub, 
in  terms  of  decreet  by  the  Commissaries  of  Aberdeen  on 
23rd  February,  1710.  The  victual  is  for  the  schoolmaster's 
salary  out  of  the  lands  of  Cairngall.  The  Lords  ordain  pay- 
ment to  be  made,  as  also  the  price  of  the  book,  or  the  book  to 
be  restored  to  the  schoolmaster,  whose  property  it  really  was." 

Moir  writes  :  "  This  Alexander,  laird  of  Cairngall,  is  the 
only  person  on  record  of  the  name  of  Arbuthnot  who  em- 

■  Aberdeenshire  Hornings,  vol.  70. 

'  Acts  and  Decreets,  Mackenzie,  vol.   i8i. 

3  Ibid. 


136  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

braced  the  religious  principles  of  Calvin,  and  his  zeal  in  the 
cause  of  the  Kirk  was  evinced  on  the  following  occasion.  It 
is  not  perhaps  generally  known  that  the  Presbyterian  principles 
were  most  reluctantly  adopted  by  a  great  majority  of  parishes 
in  Aberdeenshire,  and  that  not  a  few  of  the  Episcopalian 
incumbents  continued  in  the  possession  of  the  parochial 
church  long  after  the  Revolution.  In  many  instances, 
indeed,  the  Presbyterian  candidate  took  possession  of  his 
charge  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet — thus  proving  himself 
to  be  a  member  of  the  church-militant  here  on  earth. 

"  Mr.  Lumsden,  the  first  Presbyterian  clergyman  of 
Longside,  when  about  to  take  possession  of  his  Kirk,  dreading 
the  opposition  of  his  parishioners,  requested  Mr.  Arbuthnot 
to  accompany  him  on  the  day  of  his  proposed  admission. 
They  set  out,  but,  on  arriving  at  the  burn  or  rivulet  of  Cairngall, 
they  were  opposed  by  a  numerous  concourse  of  both  male 
and  female  warriors.  The  valiant  squire,  undismayed,  drew 
his  rapier,  and  seemed  determined  to  cut  his  way  through 
the  hostile  band  : — but  alas  !  he  little  dreamed  of  the  fate 
that  awaited  him.  An  heroic  amazon,  yclept  Anne  Dalgarno, 
stripping  off  her  tartan  plaid,  swung  it  around  her  head  and 
instantaneously  entangled  the  deadly  weapon  of  the  zealous 
laird,  whom  she  at  the  same  moment  tossed  into  the  stream. 
Mess.  John  saved  himself  by  ignoble  flight,  leaving  his  friend 
to  extricate  himself  as  he  best  could  from  his  perilous 
situation. 

"  Mr.  Lumsden  was  afterwards  accompanied  to  his  Kirk 
by  a  troop  of  dragoons  !  .  .  .  . 

"  The  death  of  Alexander  Arbuthnot  was  attended  by 
circumstances  somewhat  singular. 

"  Mr.  Arbuthnot,  some  time  in  the  year  1748,  dismissed 
his  servants,  locked  the  doors  of  his  dwelling-house  and  meal- 
girnils  or  granaries,  then  full  of  his  farm-meal,  packed  up  his 
most  valuable  articles  of  plate  in  a  wallet,  and,  without  commu- 
nicating to  any  person  his  strange  resolution,  set  out  on  foot 
for  Edinburgh,  carrying  his  wallet  on  his  back.  Upon  his 
arrival  at  Queensferry,  exhausted  both  in  body  and  mind, 
denying  himself  even  the  necessaries  of  life,  he  fell  a  victim 
either  to  mental  derangement  or  to  a  strange  species  of  the 
most  sordid  avarice." 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF   ABERDEENSHIRE    137 

On  the  death  of  Alexander  Arbuthnot,  who  never  married, 
his  cousin,  WiUiam  Forbes  of  Rigend  of  Kinminity 
(?  Kinmundy),  was  served  his  heir,  service  being  dated  13th 
September,  1748."  WilUam  Forbes,  who,  according  to  entries 
in  an  old  Bible  long  in  the  Forbes  family,  was  son  of  Duncan 
Forbes,  minister  of  Aikenway,'  and  grandson  of  Duncan 
Forbes,  minister  of  Pitsligo,  and  Agnes  Arbuthnot,  married 
in  1752  Isabella,  daughter  of  Alexander  Forsyth  "  in  Keith," 
and  had  issue  six  sons.  The  fourth  of  these,  Duncan  Forbes, 
who  became  Laird  of  Cairngall  after  the  death  of  his  brothers, 
was  born  in  1765,  and  sold  Cairngall  in  1803  to  Mr.  John 
Hutchison  of  Peterhead,  "  a  respectable  and  enterprising 
merchant  of  that  place,"  writes  John  Moir,  "  whose  judicious 
improvements  will  render  Cairngall  an  ornament  to  that  part 
of  the  country."  In  the  year  that  Cairngall  was  sold,  Duncan 
Forbes  married  Janet,  daughter  of  John  Smith,  schoolmaster 
in  Peterhead,  and  had  issue  a  son,  Keith  Forbes,  born  in 
1804.  The  latter  married  Margaret  Anderson,  daughter  of 
John  Anderson,  and  had  a  son,  Duncan  Forbes  (who  died  in 
1861),  and  several  daughters,  the  youngest  of  whom.  Miss 
Margaret  Forbes,  the  last  lineal  descendant  of  the  Forbes' 
of  Cairngall  and  representing  through  them  the  older  line  of 


'  John  Moir  states  that  "  the  estate  fell  to  Mr.  William  Forbes,  in  right  of 
his  mother,  sister  to  the  above  Alexander,"  and  some  entries  in  an  old  Bible  be- 
longing to  Miss  Margaret  Forbes,  now  residing  at  Peterhead,  also  state  that 
Alexander  Arbuthnot  was  succeeded  by  a  nephew,  and  that  two  Duncan  Forbes', 
father  and  son,  successively  married  Arbuthnots  of  Cairngall.  Duncan  Forbes, 
minister  of  Pitsligo,  and  Agnes  Arbuthnot  certainly  had  a  son,  Duncan,  who  was 
minister  of  Aikenway,  but  no  corroboration  of  the  latter's  marriage  with  an 
Arbuthnot  has  been  found,  while  the  Services  of  Heirs  state  that  Alexander  Arbuth- 
not of  Cairngall  was  succeeded  by  his  cousin,  William  Forbes,  who  would  have 
been  both  nephew  and  cousin,  if  John  Moir  and  the  old  Bible  are  correct.  A 
curious  circumstance  is  that  in  March,  1753,  the  testament  dative  of  Alexander 
Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall  was  given  up  by  "  Janet  Forbes,  lawful  daughter  of  the 
deceased  George  Forbes,  merchant  in  Aberdeen,  and  grandchild  of  Agnes  Arbuth- 
not, lawful  daughter  of  the  deceased  .  .  .  Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall,  who  was 
sister  to  ...  Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall,  father  of  the  said  Alexander  Arbuthnot, 
and  which  Janet  is  nearest  of  Idn  to  the  defunct,"  etc.  The  inheritance  of  Janet 
Forbes  consisted  of  ;£io6  13s.  4d.,  being  a  debt  due  from  William  Grant,  tenant 
of  the  Mains  of  Cairngall.  The  Cairngall  estate,  meanwhile,  passed  to  her  cousin, 
William  Forbes — an  arrangement  which  the  intricacies  of  Scottish  law  may  perhaps 
explain. 

'  Though  we  may  notice  that  "  William  Forbes  in  Rigends  of  Kinminity  " 
was  served  heir  in  1751  to  his  father,  William  Forbes,  there,  and  it  is  possible  that 
a  generation  may  intervene  here. 


138  MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall,  is  at  the  time  of  writing  still  living 
in  Peterhead,  and  has  been  kind  enough  to  take  an  interest 
in  the  projected  publication  of  this  record  of  her  ancestors, 
and  to  supply  the  author  with  many  of  the  above  facts, 
extracted  from  the  old  Bible  referred  to. 


PART    III 

THE   ARBUTHNOTS   OF   ABERDEENSHIRE, 
SECOND    BRANCH  : 

THE  DESCENDANTS  OF  ROBERT  ARBUTHNOT  OF 
RORA  — DR.  JOHN  ARBUTHNOT  —  THE  RIGHT 
HON.  CHARLES  ARBUTHNOT. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE,  SECOND 
BRANCH : 

THE  DESCENDANTS  OF  ROBERT  ARBUTHNOT  OF  RORA— 
DR.  JOHN  ARBUTHNOT  — THE  RIGHT  HON.  CHARLES 
ARBUTHNOT. 

IT  is  in  the  parish  of  Longside  that  we  must  search  for  the 
first  traces  of  the  Arbuthnots  of  Buchan,  generations  of 
whom  Hved  there  under  the  protection  of  the  great  domin- 
ant family  of  Keith,  the  senior  Une  of  which  held  the  hereditary 
office  of  Great  Marischal  of  Scotland.  The  Keiths  of  Inverugie 
and  Ravenscraig  were  originally  younger  branches  of  this 
family,  their  respective  lands  having  come  to  them  through 
intermarriage  with  the  ancient  family  of  Cheyne.  About 
1538,  a  Keith  heiress  married  her  cousin  of  the  senior  line, 
and  thus  the  Earls  Marischal  obtained  possession  of  Inverugie, 
which  became,  with  Dunnottar,  one  of  the  principal  seats 
of  the  family.  It  has  been  suggested  that  the  ancient  Inverugie 
stood  at  some  distance  from  the  present  ruins,  close  to  the 
sea,  and  at  the  mouth  of  the  Ugie,  where  there  are  traces  of 
some  old  foundations,  and  that  it  was  against  this  vanished 
castle  that  Thomas  of  Ercildoune,  known  as  "  The  Rhymer," 
pronounced  a  tragic  doom,  in  the  well-known  words : 

Ugie,  Ugie,  by  the  sea, 

Lordless  shall  your  lands  be. 

And  underneath  your  hearth  stane, 

The  Tod  shall  bring  her  bairns  hame. 

It  has,  however,  been  pointed  out  that  at  the  time  when 
Thomas  of  Ercildoune  flourished  (c.  1220-1297)  it  is  rather 
more  than  doubtful  whether  the  Keiths  had  yet  settled  in 
Buchan.  A  further  prophecy  is  said  to  have  been  pronounced 
by  him  with  reference  to  this  family.    Seating  himself  on  a 


142  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

stone    in    one    of   the    fields  near   Inverugie,  he  uttered  the 
following  prediction  : 

As  lang's  this  stane  stands  on  the  craft. 
The  name  o'   Keith  shall  be  alaft. 
But  when  it  begins  to  fa'. 
The  name  o'   Keith  shall  wear  awa'.' 

For  centuries  the  great  house  of  Keith  seemed  to  defy 
these  sinister  predictions,  and  increased  in  importance  and 
splendour,  down  to  the  time  of  George,  fifth  Earl  Marischal, 
who  made  so  magnificent  an  appearance  at  the  Danish  Court, 
when  he  went  to  escort  the  Princess  Anne  to  Scotland,  to 
be  married  to  James  VI.  This  fifth  Earl  is  credited  with 
having  called  down  a  curse  upon  his  family,  by  his  action  in 
plundering  the  old  Abbey  of  Deer,  whose  lands  and  tempor- 
alities were  annexed  by  him.  It  was  he  who — irritated  by 
the  bitter  resentment  this  lawless  act  called  forth — adopted 
the  proud  and  defiant  motto  of  the  Keiths,  which  is  inscribed 
in  quaint  old  letters  over  a  doorway  in  Marischal  College, 
Aberdeen  : 

Tha)'  say. 
Quhat  say  they  ? 
Thay  haif  sayd. 
Lat  thame  say. 

Whether  the  superstitious  are  right  or  wrong  in  attributing 
the  misfortunes  of  the  Keiths  to  this  ancient  act  of  spoliation, 
it  is  certain  that  from  the  time  of  the  fifth  Earl  downwards 
the  fortunes  of  the  family  were  on  the  ebb.  Ever  afterwards 
the  Keiths  were  to  be  found  on  the  losing  side. 

William,  sixth  Earl  Marischal,  supported  the  Covenanters, 
and  had  the  mortification  of  seeing  his  estates  ravaged  and 
laid  waste  by  the  Royahst  army  under  Montrose.  A  little 
later  he  deserted  the  Covenanters,  and,  at  a  most  inauspicious 
moment,  threw  in  his  lot  with  the  King's  party,  subsequently 
spending  nine  years  in  prison  in  England.  The  ruin  of  the 
family  was  completed  in  the  time  of  the  tenth  Earl  Marischal, 
who  took  part  in  the  disastrous  rising  of  1715,  after  which 

'  This  is  said  to  have  been  fulfilled  when  the  stone  was  removed  in  1763,  and 
built  into  the  new  church  of  St.  Fergus.  At  that  time  the  family  of  Keith  had 
forfeited  all  its  possessions  through  its  loyalty  to  the  Stuart  cause.  The  field  still 
bears  the  name  of  "  Tammas'  Stane." 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    143 

the  historic  honours  of  his  house  were  attainted  and  his 
estates  forfeited  to  the  Crown,  he  himself  leading  the  life  of 
a  wanderer  on  the  continent.  His  mother,  the  Dowager 
Countess,  was  allowed  to  live  on  at  Inverugie  till  her  death, 
after  which  the  neglected  castle  fell  into  utter  decay  and 
became  the  prey  of  bands  of  thieves,  who  looted  it  of  all  its 
treasures.  It  was  this  lady  who  composed  the  mournful 
Jacobite  ballad,  which  runs  as  follows  : 

My  father  was  a  guid  Lord's  son, 

My  mither  was  an  Earl's  daughter, 

And  I'll  be  Lady  Keith  again, 

The  day  our  King  comes  o'er  the  water. 

But  that  King  never  did  come  over  the  water  again,  and 
the  proud  old  lady  died  with  her  hopes  unfulfilled.  An  old 
servant,  venturing  to  commiserate  with  her  on  the  sad  fact 
of  her  sons  having  involved  themselves  in  the  ruin  of  the 
Stuart  cause,  she  started  to  her  feet  and  answered  wrathfuUy 
that  "  if  they  had  not  done  as  they  did,  she  would  have  gone 
out  herself  with  her  spindle  and  rock."  ' 

The  attainder  against  the  Keiths  was  reversed  in  1759, 
through  the  intercession  of  Frederick  the  Great,  and  in  1764 
the  last  Earl  Marischal,  then  an  old  man,  paid  a  visit  to  the 
ruins  of  Inverugie,  the  sight  of  which  so  affected  him  that 
he  burst  into  tears  and  refused  to  approach  them.'- 

It  is  hoped  that  this  brief  sketch  of  the  Keith  family  will 
not  be  found  irrelevant,  for  it  was  on  their  estates  that  the 
Arbuthnots  were  tenants  during  many  generations,  while  the 
office  of  factor  to  the  Earl  Marischal  seems  to  have  become 
almost  an  hereditary  one  among  members  of  the  Arbuthnot 
family. 

It  has  been  seen  that  John  Moir  derives  the  descent  of 
the    Aberdeenshire    Arbuthnots    from    Robert    Arbuthnot    of 

•  "  Rock,"  i.e.  distaff. 

'  This  incident  is  touchingly  described  in  Mr.  Tocher's  Book  of  Buchan,  p.  310. 
The  Earl  Marischal's  younger  brother,  James  Keith,  became  the  celebrated 
Field-Marshal  of  Frederick  the  Great.  After  a  distinguished  career  abroad,  he 
was  killed  at  the  Battle  of  Hochkirch  in  1758,  when  gallantly  charging  the  enemy 
at  the  head  of  his  troops.  Thus  he  fell,  honourably  fighting,  like  so  many  of 
his  exiled  compatriots,  in  a  cause  other  than  that  of  his  native  land.  "  Keith 
sleeps  ...  far  from  bonnie  Inverugie,"  wrote  Carlyle  in  oft-quoted  words,  "  the 
hoarse  sea  winds  and  caverns  of  Dunnottar  singing  vague  requiem  to  his  honour- 
able line  and  name." 


144  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

Rora,  one  of  three  brothers — John,  Robert,  and  Alexander 
— whom  tradition  states  to  have  migrated  from  Kincardine- 
shire to  Aberdeenshire  about  the  year  1560.  "  Robert,  the 
second  of  the  above  three  brothers,"  he  writes,  "  settled  with 
his  younger  brother  (i.e.  Alexander)  at  Rora,  in  the  same 
parish  of  Longside,  and  left  a  son,"  etc. 

We  have  already  noted  that  this  view  of  the  family  descent 
is  not  quite  correct  in  one  or  two  points.  For  instance,  John 
Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall  and  his  brothers  were  not  the  first 
members  of  their  family  to  settle  in  Aberdeenshire  ;  the  date 
1560  is  also  rather  an  early  one  for  their  generation,  though 
it  may  very  possibly  be  the  correct  date  of  the  arrival  of 
James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche  in  Aberdeenshire. 

The  researches  undertaken  in  the  course  of  preparing 
this  book  have  established  that  three  brothers,  almost  certainly 
sons  of  John  Arbuthnot  of  Portertown  and  Legasland,  cer- 
tainly came  to  Aberdeenshire  somewhere  about  the  time 
specified,  their  names  being  James,  afterwards  of  Lentusche, 
Robert  (?  of  Rora),  and  David  of  Long  Seat.' 

Was  Robert,  brother  of  Lentusche,  identical  with  Robert 
of  Rora,  who  got  the  former's  escheat  in  1587,  and  figures 
in  all  the  MS.  genealogies  preserved  in  the  Arbuthnot  family, 
and  from  whom  nearly  all  the  diverging  branches  claim  their 
descent  ?  '  Or  was  he  son  of  Lentusche — whom  we  do  not 
otherwise  know  to  have  had  a  son  Robert — and  therefore, 
as  Moir  asserts,  brother  and  not  uncle  to  John,  first  Laird  of 
Cairngall  ?  Although  no  absolute  proof  is  forthcoming,  I 
have,  on  the  advice  of  the  Rev.  William  Arbuthnot  and  Mr. 
Henry  Paton,  preferred  the  former  view,  and  shall  proceed 
with  the  pedigree  on  those  lines. 

From  Robert  of  Rora  downwards,  we  may  perhaps  assume 
that  Moir  is  likely  to  be  correct.  He  claims  that  his  informa- 
tion was  handed  down  through  various  members  of  the  family 
from  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Scotsmill,  who  is  stated  to  have 
been  grandson  to  Robert  of  Rora,  and  would  be  likely  to  be 

I  Probably  also  Alexander,  afterwards  printer  in  Edinburgh,  who  had  con- 
nections with  Aberdeen,  and  is  beheved  to  have  been  a  son  of  John  Arbuthnot 
of  Portertown. 

J  We  must  except  the  line  which  descended  from  Alexander  Arbuthnot  of 
Rora,  which  will  be  dealt  with  in  its  turn.  To  this  branch  the  Abbot  of  Ratisbon 
belonged.     It  is  now  extinct  in  the  male  line. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    145 

correct  as  to  his  own  immediate  descent.  We  shall  now  pro- 
ceed to  trace  out  the  line  of  Rora,  placing  Robert  Arbuthnot, 
brother  of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche,  in  the  place  we 
have  assigned  him  as  its  progenitor. 

The  first  mention  of  Robert  Arbuthnot,  brother  of  James 
of  Lentusche,  is  in  1566-7,  when  James  and  his  wife  Christian 
Collace  acquired  some  inner  land  in  the  close  of  a  tenement 
in  the  Castlegate,  Aberdeen,  resigned  in  their  favour  by  Mr. 
Thomas  Menzies  of  Dorn.'  Many  years  later,  as  we  have  seen, 
Thomas  Menzies  redeemed  this  tenement  of  land  in  the 
Castlegate  from  "  William  Arbuthnot,  son  of  James  Arbuthnot 
of  Lentusche."  On  the  present  occasion,  "  Robert  Arbuthnot, 
brother-german  of  the  said  James  Arbuthnot,"  acted  as 
"  procurator  "  for  Christian  Collace. 

On  29th  September,  1573,  "  Robert  Arbuthnot,  father's 
brother  and  tutor  to  Thomas  Arbuthnot,  lawful  son  of  James 
Arbuthnot  of  Lentuche,"  was  called  to  see  "  consignation 
made  of  an  angel  noble  for  redemption  from  the  said  Thomas 
of  a  croft  on  the  west  side  of  the  Crofts  of  Aberdeen,"  etc. 

On  15th  August,  1587,  we  find  the  following  entry  in  the 
Register  of  the  Privy  Seal,  vol.  56 :  "  Gift  to  Robert 
Arbuthnot  in  Rora  and  his  heirs  and  assignees  of  the  escheat 
of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentushe,  who  is  at  the  horn  for  not 
payment  to  WiUiam  Fraser  in  Bogheids  of  £80  Scots,"  etc. 

Robert  Arbuthnot  in  Rora  had  certainly  a  son  Thomas, 
living  in  1606,  in  which  year  we  find  mention  of  a  "  Bond  by 
James  Dowgall  in  Cairngall  with  John  Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall 
and  John  Sym  there  as  cautioners,  to  Thomas  Arbuthnot,  lawful 
son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  in  Rorey,  for  ;^86  13s.  4d.  Scots. 
Dated  at  Cairngall,  22nd  December,  1606  ;  witnesses,  Alexander 
Arbuthnot  in  Rorey  and  John  Robertson  in  Cairngall." » 

'  Aberdeen  Burgh  Register  of  Sasines.  This  Thomas  JMenzies  was  brother  to 
Gilbert  Menzies  of  Pitfoddels,  Provost  of  Aberdeen.  Mr.  John  Davidson  tells  us 
that  "  about  the  beginning  of  the  century,  the  Pitfoddels  family  had  a  mansion 
in  the  burgh,  wliich  habitation,  built  of  wood  and  situated  in  the  Castlegate,  wa» 
in  1529  accidentally  burnt  down,  and,  within  a  year  thereafter,  a  house  on  the  same 
site  was  built  in  stone,  and  continued  probably  much  in  its  original  state  until 
removed  about  1800,  when  the  site  of  '  Pitfoddels  Lodging  '  was  disposed  of, 
and  the  house  then  built  thereon  at  the  top  of  Marischal  Street,  is  now  occupied 
by  the  Union  Bank  of  Scotland."  See  Inverurie  and  the  Earldom  of  the  Garioch, 
by  John  Davidson,  p.  457  ;  David  Douglas,  Edinburgh,  1878. 

'  Register  of  Deeds,  vol.  153,  fol.  117. 
10 


146  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

Robert  Arbuthnot  had  also,  according  to  John  Moir,  a 
son  named  John,  who  became  Notary  PubUc  at  Peterhead, 
being  entered  Notary  in  the  year  1598.  Moir  writes  :  "  A 
book  containing  notarial  copies  written  by  this  man  was 
long  preserved  in  the  family  of  John  Moir  at  Kirktown  of 
Longside,  and  is  now  (i.e.  1815)  in  the  possession  of  John 
Moir,  printer,  Edinburgh."  All  efforts  to  trace  this  volume, 
which  is  believed  to  have  contained  a  written  statement  that 
the  Notary  was  son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Rora,  have  failed. 
It  was  beheved  that  it  might  have  been  among  the  effects 
of  Miss  Mary  Moir,  last  surviving  child  of  John  Moir,  who 
died  in  1900,  but  Mr.  Arthur  Giles,  her  cousin,  who  inherited 
all  her  effects,  informs  me  that  he  has  never  seen  the  book 
and  knows  nothing  as  to  its  whereabouts.  He  assures  me 
that  it  was  certainly  not  among  Miss  Moir's  books,  which 
are  now  in  his  possession." 

In  1601  the  Notary  was  witness  to  the  execution  of  letters 
of  horning  raised  against  John  Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall  by 
Patrick  Lord  Glamis,  for  wrongful  occupation  of  lands  in 
Belhelvie.' 

In  1604  he  was  witness  to  a  Charter  granted  to  John 
Gordon  of  Boigs,  who  sold  some  land  to  George,  Earl  Marischal. 
This  was  signed  at  Inverugie,  5th  July,  1604.' 

In  1605  "  John  Arbuthnot,  Notary,"  wrote  a  bond  which 
was  signed  at  "  Brodland,"  26th  July,  whereby  sundry  persons 
found  caution  not  to  harm  "  Andro  Watson  in  Haddo  of 
Rattray."  The  following  day,  at  Deer,  he  subscribed  for 
Alexander  Rires  in  a  similar  bond  for  the  protection  of  Andrew 
Watson.'' 

>  Some  MS.  notes  on  the  family  left  by  Miss  Grace  Park,  daughter  of  Captain 
James  Park  and  Grizel  Arbuthnot,  which  are  among  the  papers  at  Arbuthnot 
House,  Peterhead,  contain  the  following  statement :  "  There  is  a  Charter  granted 
by  Iving  James  VI  of  Scotland,  dated  1598,  creating  John  Arbuthnot,  son  of 
Robert  Arbuthnot  in  Rora,  Notary  Public,  in  which  capacity  he  officiated  near 
Peterhead,"  etc.  With  regard  to  the  book  above  mentioned.  Miss  Park  writes  : 
"  There  is  in  the  possession  of  John  Moir  at  Kirktown  a  MS.  in  which 
are  inserted  several  copies  of  services  executed  by  John  Arbuthnot,  son  of  Robert 
Arbuthnot  in  Rora,  at  the  beginning  of  which  there  is  a  copy  of  the  warrant  for 
executing  the  office  of  Notary  Pubhc,  signed  by  James  VI  at  Holyrood,  in  the 
year  1598-" 

-  Aberdeenshire  Homings,  vol.   10. 

3  Registrum  Magni  Sigilli  Regum  Scotorum,  vol.  vii.  No.  21.  This  charter 
was  confirmed  15th  February,  1609. 

4  Registers  oj  the  Privy  Council  of  Scotland,  vol.  vii,  pp.  610-61 1. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  147 

On  17th  January,  1606,  John  Arbuthnot,  Notary  Public, 
"  at  the  Burn  of  Auchlee,"  wrote  a  bond  subscribed  by  John 
Arbuthnot  in  Rora,  John  Nicholson  and  John  Scott,  to 
Arthur  Dalgarno  in  Fortree,  for  100  merks.' 

The  Notary  was  alive  in  1615,  when  he  drew  up  a  sasine, 
but  is  mentioned  as  "Notary,  the  late  John  Arbuthnot,"  in 
1617.*  John  Arbuthnot,  Notary  Public,  married  Miss 
Stevenson,  daughter  and  apparently  heiress  of  Stevenson  of 
Inglismill  (or  Englishmill),  near  Inverugie.  They  had  issue 
at  least  one  son,'  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Scotsmill  and  of 
Inglismill,  near  Inverugie,  who  was  born  in  1610.'' 

In  1643  Robert  Arbuthnot  "  at  Inglismilne  "  gave  sasine 
as  bailie  to  Andrew  Arbuthnot,  "  brother-german  to  Robert, 
Viscount  of  Arbuthnot,"  '  of  lands  in  Longside  (then  part  of 
the  parish  of  Peterugie),  namely,  "  the  town  and  lands  of 
Tortarstoun,  with  the  mill  thereof  called  the  Scotismylne,  and 
the  hill  called  Ravenscraig,  with  the  pertinents,  lying  in  the 
parish  of  Peterugie,"  etc.  In  that  year  Robert  Arbuthnot 
was  not  yet  of  Scotsmill,  for  we  read  of  a  Bruce  of  Scotsmill, 
with  whom  "  Robert  Arbuthnot  at  Inghsmilne,"  with  "  John 
Arbuthnot  in  Rora "  and  "  David  Arbuthnot  at  the  Mill 
thereof,"  and  others,  committed  an  outrage  upon  WiUiam 
Craigheid  in  Buchlay,  surrounding  the  house  when  he  was 
"  from  home  "  and  "  without  any  lawful  warrant  ranne  at 
the  doores  with  double  geists,  brake  up  the  same  with  the 
kists,  coffers  and  almereis,  and  tooke  furthe  thairof  their 
haill  goods,  geir,  bands,  evidents  and  writts,  insicht,  plenishing 
and  what  they  were  able  to  carrie  away,  brake  all  the  timber 
work  and  other  plenishing  quhilk  they  left  behind  and  left 
the  doores  open  and  so  made  all  a  prey  to  theeves  and  pyckers 
in  the  countrie,  who  came  in  thereafter  and  left  nothing  ; 

I  This  deed  was  not  registered  till  7th  February,  1622.  The  identity  of  the 
"  John  Arbuthnot  in  Rora  "  mentioned  in  it  is  a  complete  mystery.  It  is  stated 
that  the  Notary  signed  for  the  granters,  "  who  could  not  write." — Aberdeen  Sheriff 
Court  Deeds. 

'  Records  of  the  Sheriff  Court  of  Aberdeen,  vol.  ii.  p.  219.  The  case  in  which 
he  is  mentioned  is  one  between  the  Master  of  Marischal  and  James  Walker  in 
Peterhead  v.  James  Davidson  in  Auchlee. 

3  In  1634  there  is  mention  of  a  John  Arbuthnot,  "  clerk  of  the  diocese  of 
Aberdeen,"  who  may,  perhaps,  also  have  been  a  son  of  the  Notary. 

4  According  to  the  inscription  to  himself  and  his  wife  in  the  churchyard  of 
St.  Fergus,  near  Peterhead. 

J  This  would  be  the  first  Viscount. 


148  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

and  thereby  has  altogether  herryed  the  compleaners,  who, 
having  come  to  stop  this  lawlesse  act,  they  patt  violent  hands 
in  the  compleaner's  person,  gave  him  divers  straikes  in  his 
bodie  and  hes  brought  him  to  extreme  povertie  and  miserie." 
The  pursuer  compearing,  but  not  the  defenders,  the  Lords, 
after  hearing  the  evidence  of  witnesses,  found  that  the 
defenders  broke  up  the  doors  of  the  pursuer's  house  "  with 
trees,  and  tooke  furth  the  plenishing  thaireof,"  and  for  this 
they  ordained  them  to  be  charged  to  enter  in  ward  within 
the  Tolbooth  of  Edinburgh  within  fifteen  days  and  there 
remain  until  order  could  be  taken  with  them  for  this 
"  insolence."  ' 

In  1649  there  is  registration  of  a  bond  by  James  Robertson 
of  Dumhills  (?  Downiehills)  to  Robert  Arbuthnot  "  at  the 
Inglismilne." " 

In  1658  there  is  registration  of  sasine  of  Robert  Arbuthnot 
"  at  the  Englishmill  of  Inverugie,"  on  a  "  disposition  by 
Elspet  Lendrum  in  Peterhead,  selling  to  him  her  tenement 
of  land  in  Peterhead,  dated  the  said  23rd  February." » 

In  1665  Robert  Arbuthnot  appears  to  have  farmed  White- 
hill,  on  the  Invernettie  estate,  for  we  find  the  following  entry 
in  vol.  iii  of  the  Aberdeenshire  Sasines,  that  year,  which  almost 
certainly  refers  to  him  : 

"  1665,  July  10,  Registration  of  Sasine  dated  15  June, 
of  William  Arbuthnot,  lawful  son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  in 
Whythill,  and  Christian  Hampton,  his  future  spouse,  daughter 
to  John  Hampton  at  the  stone  mill  of  Inverugie,  in  terms  of 
their  contract  of  marriage  dated  i  June  1665,  in  part  of 
WiUiam  Dalgarno  of  Blackwater's  Roods  in  Rattray,  in  the 
parish  of  Crimond,  he  being  a  party  to  the  contract.  John 
Arbuthnot  in  Rora  is  a  witness  thereto." 

Robert  Arbuthnot  "  at  Scotsmylne  "  was  witness  at  the 
baptism  of  his  grand-daughter,   Janet  Arbuthnot,   daughter 

I  Registers  of  the  Privy  Council  of  Scotland,  Second  Series,  vii.  p.  386. 

i  Aberdeen  Sheriff  Court  Deeds.  The  same  day  (November  22nd),  James 
Robertson  registered  a  bond  to  "  Isobel  Arbuthnot,  widow  of  Mr.  James  Martein, 
minister  at  Peterhead,"  a  witness  being  her  son,  Mr.  Alexander  Martine.  The 
latter,  as  we  have  seen  (p.  132),  had  married  Elizabeth  Arbuthnot,  daughter  of 
the  second  Laird  of  Cairngall.  Possibly  this  Isobel,  who  cannot  be  identified, 
was  a  sister  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Scotsmill,  or  she  may,  of  course,  have  belonged, 
like  her  daughter-in-law,  to  the  Cairngall  line. 

J  Aberdeenshire  Sasines,  vol.  20. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  149 

of  his  son  Robert,  at  Peterhead  Parish  Church  on  25th 
January,  1670.' 

On  25th  February,  1672,  Wilham  Robertson,  "  Chamberlain 
to  old  Robert  Arbuthnot,"  is  mentioned  as  one  of  the  wit- 
nesses at  the  baptism  of  another  grandchild,  Mary  Arbuthnot, 
also  daughter  of  Robert  Arbuthnot,  junior.' 

Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Scotsmill  died  in  1682,  having  married 
Beatrix  Gordon,  daughter  of  John  Gordon  of  Sheills,*  who 
must  have  been  his  cousin,  for  her  mother  was  an  Arbuthnot, 
as  we  have  seen.  They  are  buried  in  the  old  Churchyard 
of  St.  Fergus,  near  Peterhead,  where  a  tablet  to  their  memory 
bears  the  following  inscription  :  "  Here  lye  the  bodies  of 
Robert  Arbuthnot  and  Beatrix  Gordon,  his  spouse.  He 
died  aged  72  and  she  76  years  and  both  in  the  Year  of  our 
Lord  MDCLXXXII."  In  Peter  Buchan's  Annals  of  Peterhead, 
and  in  several  other  old  books  on  the  neighbourhood,  the 
stone  is  described  and  is  stated  to  have  borne  the  Arbuthnot 
arms  quartered  with  those  of  Gordon.  The  shield  is  now  so 
obliterated — although  the  stone  is  said  to  have  been  restored 
in  the  time  of  the  first  Sir  William  Arbuthnot,  by  his  direction 
— that  nothing  can  be  gleaned  from  it.  As,  however,  it  is 
impossible  for  a  man  to  quarter  his  wife's  arms  under  any 
circumstances,  the  arms  of  Gordon  would  have  been  either 
impaled  or  charged  in  pretence — if  the  latter,  then  all  Arbuth- 
nots  descending  from  this  marriage  would  appear  to  have 
the  right  to  quarter  the  arms  of  Gordon  with  the  paternal 
coat.  Oddly  enough,  the  arms  are  surmounted  by  an  angel's 
head,  which  is  in  a  fair  state  of  preservation. ^ 

'  Peterhead  Parish  Registers. 

'  Ihid. 

3  See  illustrated  birthbrief  facing  p.  162.  Her  descent  has  already  been  fully 
discussed  on  p.  125. 

<  In  August,  1917,  the  writer,  with  Miss  Violet  Arbuthnot-Leslie,  visited  the 
old  churchyard.  It  was  a  dull,  rainy,  windy  day,  and  anything  more  desolate, 
treeless  and  windswept  than  the  country  we  ran  through  cannot  be  imagined. 
Among  the  sand-dunes  some  miles  north  of  Peterhead,  well  away  from  any  human 
habitation,  lies  the  old  churchyard,  close  to  the  sea.  Somehow  it  suggested  a 
derelict  vessel,  floating  aimlessly  on  the  billowy  sand-hills,  with  a  strange,  silent 
cargo,  of  absorbing  interest  to  genealogists  and  antiquarians.  In  this  lonely  spot. 
Dr.  Beattie  said  he  would  wish,  above  all  others,  to  be  buried.  The  old  church- 
yard is  not  really  derelict.  It  is  very  well  kept  and  cared  for,  and  is,  even  now, 
the  only  burial-place  for  the  parisli.  The  ancient  fishing  village  of  Drumlinie 
once  lay  between  it  and  the  sea,  but  has  vanished  long  ago,  buried  beneath  the 
shifting  sandhills,  and  not  a  trace  of  it  is  now  to  be  8een. 


150  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

Robert  Arbuthnot  and  Beatrix  Gordon  died  in  the  same 
year,  1682,  as  we  have  seen."  They  had  issue  four  sons  and 
at  least  one  daughter,  as  follows : 

I.  Alexander    (Rev.),    eldest    son,    to    whom    we   shall 
return. 
II.  John,  who  settled  at  Rora,  of  whom  presently. 

III.  WiUiam,   who   settled   at   the   Mills   of   Invernettie, 

Peterhead.  He  married  in  1665  Christian,  daughter 
of  John  Hampton,  at  the  stone  mill  of  Inverugie, 
and  he  certainly  had  issue — 

(i)  John,  baptized  at  Peterhead  June,  1674 
(a  witness,  John  Hampton),  buried  at 
Peterhead  in  1676. 

(2)  Robert,  baptized  at  Peterhead  8th  Decem- 

ber, 1676  (witnesses  Robert  Martine  and 
Robert  Arbuthnot,  probably  of  Scots- 
mill). 

(3)  Alexander,    baptized    9th    April,    1683,    a 

witness  being  "  Robert  Arbuthnot." 
(i)   EHzabeth,     baptized    7th    January,     1678. 
(2)  Margaret,  baptized  ist  May,  1688,  "  Robert 

Arbuthnot  "  again  named  as  witness.' 

IV.  Robert,  of  Whitehill,  of  whom  presently. 

I.  A  daughter,  married  to  Patrick  Forbes,  second  son 
of  Thomas  Forbes  of  Auchredie.'  ' 

John  Arbuthnot,  second  son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of 
Scotsmill,  settled  at  Rora  and  became  factor  to  the  Earl 
Marischal  and  to  the  Earl  of  ErroU. 

In  1662  "  John  Arbuthnot  in  Rora  "  had  sasine  of  lands 
in  the  parish  of  Deer,  "  on  a  bond  by  Colonel  George  Keith, 

'  Inscription  in  St.  Fergus  Churchyard.  John  Moir  tells  us  that  "  A  small 
silver  cup  in  the  form  of  a  wine-glass,  belonging  to  this  venerable  couple,  inscribed 
with  their  initials,  is  in  the  possession  of  John  Moir,  printer,  Edinburgh.  This 
cup  had  been  time  immemorial  in  the  family  of  the  said  Robert,  in  the  form  of 
a  quaich." — John  Moir's  History  of  the  Arbuthnot  Family,  written  in  1815. 

=  These  names  are  extracted  from  the  parish  registers  of  Peterhead,  where 
they  are  all  stated  to  be  the  children  of  "  William  Arbuthnot  in  Invernettie." 
Nothing  is  known  of  their  descendants,  but  John  Moir  states  that  Wilham  Arbuth- 
not of  Invernettie  "  left  two  sons  who  went  abroad  and  made  considerable  fortunes, 
and  one  daughter,  whose  descendants  cannot  now  be  traced." 

3  Macfarlane's  Genealogies,  vol.  ii.  p.  234. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    151 

brother-german    to    the    Lord    Marischal,  ...  to    the    said 
John  Arbuthnot  and  his  spouse,"  etc 

In  1665  he  was  witness  to  a  sasine  dated  15th  June,  of 
WiUiam  Arbuthnot,  son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  in  Whitehill, 
to  some  lands  in  Rattray,  in  the  parish  of  Crimond.' 

In  1687  he  was,  with  his  brother,  the  Rev.  Alexander 
Arbuthnot  and  Robert,  third  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  called 
as  next-of-kin  in  a  Curatory  appointed  for  Alexander 
Arbuthnot,  last  Laird  of  Cairngall.' 

There  is  extant  a  lease,  dated  1694,  by  which  the  "  noble 
and  potent  Lord  Wilham  Lord  Keith "  leases  to  John 
Arbuthnot  in  Rora  "  all  and  hail  the  pieces  portion  of  land 
at  Burnhead  of  Airthie,  called  the  Rood  Priory."  For  these 
lands  he  was  to  pay  "  hail  the  somme  of  twenty  pounds 
Scots  money  at  two  terms  in  the  year,  Whitsunday  and 
Martinmas,  by  equal  portions,"  etc.  This  was  signed  at 
Inverugie,  7th  February,  1694,  and  a  witness  was  "  Robert 
Arbuthnot,  son  to  the  said  John  Arbuthnot."  * 

He  married  Margaret  Robertson,  and  both  were  living  in 
1709.  She  was  his  widow  in  1715-6,  paying  rent  in  that 
year  to  the  estate  of  the  Earl  Marischal.  She  was  living  in 
1718,  when  she  detained  part  of  her  rent  as  interest  on  some 
debt  owing  to  her.' 

John  Arbuthnot  in  Rora  seems  to  have  had  the  following 
issue  : 

I.  WilUam,  baptized  at  Longside,  29th  October,  1665, 

settled   at    Auchterady,    New   Deer.     He   assisted 

his   father  in   the   management   of  the   Marischal 

estate,    and   married    a    daughter    of    Gordon    of 

Nethermuir,    and    by    her    had    two    sons,    who, 

according  to  John  Moir,  went  to  the  East  Indies 

"  in  the  miUtary  service,"  and  three  daughters  : 

(i)  Margaret,  born  1695,  who  married  John  Moir 

in    Kirktown   of    Longside    (he    died    2nd 

April,    1745),    and    was    grandmother    of 

•  Aberdeenshire  Sasincs,  vol.  i. 
>  Ibid.,  vol.  iii. 

3  See  p.   134,  for  some  remarks  on  this  circumstance. 

4  Information  kindly  communicated  by  the  Rev.  William  Arbuthnot,  in 
whose  possession  is  the  original  lease. 

5  Forfeited  Estate  Papers  relating  to  the  lands  of  the  Earl  Marischal. 


152  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

John  Moir  the  printer,  who  compiled  the 
MS.  History  of  the  Arbuthnots,  which  has 
been  so  invaluable  in  the  course  of 
preparing  the  present  work.  She  died 
7th  November,  1738,  and  was  buried  at 
Longside.' 

(2)  Jean,  who  married  "  a  merchant  in   Aber- 

deen." 

(3)  Anne,  who  died  unmarried. 

II.  Robert,  baptized  at  Longside,  13th  April,  1669, 
who  succeeded  his  father  as  factor  to  the  Earl 
Marischal,  and  married,  20th  June,  1699,  Jean, 
daughter  to  Mr.  Archibald  Sempill  of  Dykhead 
(third  son  of  Hugh,  fifth  Lord  Sempill),'  and  had 
a  son,  George,  baptized  at  Peterhead,  4th  May, 
1700,  of  whom  nothing  more  is  known.  Jean 
Sempill  was  living  in  1716,  when  John  Arbuthnot 
in  Rora  received  factory  for  "  Mrs.  Jean  Simpell, 
widow  of  Robert  Arbuthnot,  sometime  chamberlain 
to  the  Earl  Marischal,  to  receive  from  Alexander 
Reid  a  year's  annual  rent  of  1,000  merks."  ' 

III.  John,  baptized  at  Longside  14th  March,  1674. 

IV.  Alexander,  baptized  at  Longside  28th  Ma;^,  1677. 
V.  John  (second   of  the  name),  baptized  at  Longside 

22nd  November,  1678. 
VI.  John    (third   of   the   name),    baptized    at    Longside 

25th  April,  1680. 
I.  Mary,  baptized  at  Longside  14th  May,  1664. 
II.  Elizabeth,  baptized  at  Longside  12th  March,  1667. 

III.  Isabel,  baptized  at  Longside  nth  May,  1675. 

IV.  Janet,  baptized  at  Longside  29th  July,  1676.     This 

is  the  lady  referred  to  by  John  Moir  as  "  a  most 
intelligent  and  well-informed  woman,"  who  took 
an  interest  in  genealogy  and  received  from  her 
grandfather  (Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Scotsmill)  much 
information  regarding  the  earUer  generations  of 

'  John  Moir's  mother  was  also  an  Arbuthnot,  his  father  having  married 
Mary,  daughter  of  James  Arbuthnot  of  West  Rora  and  sister  of  Charles,  Abbot  of 
Ratisbon.     (See  p.  255.) 

»  Edinburgh  Parish  Registers,  Scottish  Record  Society. 

3  Forfeited  Estate  Papers  relating  to  the  lands  of  the  Earl  Marischal. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  153 

her  family  and  transmitted  them  to  her  niece, 
Mrs.  John  Moir,  with  whom  she  resided  at  Kirk- 
town  of  Longside  towards  the  end  of  her  life 
(see  pp.  91-2). 

The  Rev.  Alexander  Arbutlmot,  eldest  son  of  Robert 
Arbuthnot  of  Scotsmill  and  Beatrix  Gordon,  entered  the 
church  as  an  Episcopalian  and  became  in  1665  (doubtless 
through  family  interest)  minister  of  Arbuthnott,  Kincardine- 
shire. He  had  previously  been  for  two  years  minister  of 
Holywood,  Dumfriesshire.  He  took  a  deep  interest  in 
genealogy,  and  wrote  a  continuation  of  the  old  Latin  history 
of  the  Arbuthnot  family  compiled  by  Principal  Alexander 
Arbuthnot,  both  of  which  sources  of  information  have  been 
largely  drawn  upon  in  the  early  pages  of  this  work.  What 
is  generally  spoken  of  as  the  original  MS.  of  the  Rev.  Alexander 
Arbuthnot's  History  is  preserved  at  the  Advocates'  Library, 
Edinburgh.  Mr.  Joseph  Davidson,  however,  who  copied  the 
MS.  for  me,  assures  me  that  it  is  "  not  the  original,  but  a  cop}'' 
only,  in  which  some  blanks  occur."  The  whereabouts  of  the 
original  seems,  therefore,  to  be  unknown  ;  it  does  not  appear 
to  be  among  the  papers  at  Arbuthnott  House,  and  is  perhaps 
no  longer  in  existence." 

In  one  particular  the  MS.  is  disappointing.  Alexander 
Arbuthnot  unfortunately  limits  himself  exclusively  to  the 
senior  line  of  Arbuthnott,'  and  tells  us  nothing  of  his  own 
descent.  In  1687  he  was  called  as  one  of  the  next-of-kin  to 
Alexander,  last  Laird  of  Cairngall.  In  1689  he  was  deposed 
from  his  hving  by  the  third  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  for  non- 
comphance  with  the  Presbyterian  system.  In  1690  he  bought 
from  Wiham  Rait  of  Halgreen  (who  had  acquired  it  in  1678 
from  "  George  Ogilvie  of  Barras  and  the  deceased  Dame 
Margaret  Arbuthnot,  his  widow,")  the  estate  of  Kinghornie, 
near  the  Castle  of  Halgreen,  standing  close  to  the  sea,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Bervie.     Here  he  spent  the  last  year  of  his  hfe. 

'  I  believe  it  is  no  secret  that  we  are  to  be  gratified,  in  the  near  future,  by 
the  pubhcation  in  full  of  these  two  unique  family  records.  It  is  my  great  mis- 
fortune to  precede  rather  than  to  follow  a  publication  of  such  extreme  interest, 
which  will  appeal  to  genealogists  and  antiquarians  throughout  the  country. 

'■  We  may  notice  here  that  the  Rev.  Alexander,  and  also  his  son,  the  Doctor, 
spelt  their  name  with  two  tl's,  though  in  the  latter's  published  works  he  used  only 
one  t.     The  older  form  is  certainly  the  single  t. 


154  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

He  and  his  family  were  all  ardent  Jacobites,  willing  to  risk 
life  and  fortune  in  the  Stuart  interest  and  retaining  their 
sympathies  long  after  that  cause  was  irretrievably  lost. 

The  Rev.  Alexander  Arbuthnot  died  27th  February,  1691, 
and  was  buried  at  Arbuthnott.  He  was  twice  married,  first 
(4th  April,  1666)  to  Margaret,  daughter  of  Mr.  John  Lammie, 
Dean  of  Brechin' — of  a  family  who  had  also  gone  through  their 
share  of  persecution  at  the  hands  of  the  Presbyterian  party — 
and  secondly  to  Catherine  Ochterlony,  who  survived  him. 

By  his  first  wife  he  had  issue — 

I.  John  (Doctor),  baptized  at  Arbuthnott  29th  April, 

1667,  physician  to  Queen  Anne,  of  whom  presently. 

n.  Robert,   baptized   at   Arbuthnott   3rd    June,    1669, 

afterwards  a  banker  at  Rouen,  of  whom  presently. 

HI.  Alexander,    baptized    at    Arbuthnott     27th     June, 

1671,  died  in  infancy. 

IV.  Alexander  (second  of  the  name),  baptized  at  Arbuth- 
nott 7th  December,  1675.  His  will,  dated  i8th 
March,  1738,  at  Calcutta,  shows  him  to  have 
been  a  Bengali  merchant,  and  to  have  left  no 
legitimate  offspring.  His  sister,  "  Mrs.  Ehzabeth 
Arbuthnot,"  is  appointed  executrix,  and  the  will 
was  proved  by  her  attorney,  George  Ochterlony 
24th  November,  1742. 
I.  Katherine,   baptized   at   Arbuthnott  ist  December, 

1672,  probably  dead  before  1733,  as  she  is  not 
named  in  the  will  of  her  brother  John. 

II.  Anne,  baptized  at  Arbuthnott  24th  August,  1681. 
Living  in  1733,  in  which  year  Dr.  John  Arbuthnot 
made  his  will  and  left  her  £20  for  mourning. 
III.  Joan,  baptized  at  Arbuthnott  17th  March,  1685. 
Moir  states  that  one  of  the  daughters  of  the 
Rev.  Alexander  Arbuthnot  married  Mr.  Calden- 
head  (or  Aikenhead),  and  that  the  latter  told 
Mr.  Robert  Arbuthnot,  Secretary  to  the  Board  of 
Trustees,  that  the  Rev.  Alexander  "  possessed 
more  learning  than  any  of  his  sons." 

'  See  birthbrief  facing  p.  162.  Her  mother  was  Catherine  Lindsay,  daughter 
of  Alexander  Lindsay  of  Canterland  by  his  wife,  Helen  Haldane,  daughter  of 
John  Haldane  of  Gleneagles. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    155 

IV.  Elizabeth  (according  to  Mr.  Aitken,  not  found  in 
the  parish  registers),  to  whom  Dr.  John  Arbuthnot 
also  left  £20  for  mourning.  Her  brother  Alexander, 
as  we  have  mentioned,  appointed  her  executrix 
under  his  will,  dated  1738.  She  was  in  that 
year  residing  at  Montrose. 

By  his  second  wife,  Catherine  Ochterlony,"  the  Rev. 
Alexander  Arbuthnot  had  issue  a  son — 

V.  George,  baptized  at  Arbuthnott  15th  February,  1688, 
inherited  the  estate  of  Kinghornie,  and  was  an 
officer  in  Queen  Anne's  Guard.    Of  him  presently. 

Doctor  John  Arbuthnot,  eldest  son  of  the  Rev.  Alexander 
Arbuthnot  and  Margaret  Lammie,  has  been  so  fully  and  ably 
dealt  with  by  Mr.  G.  A.  Aitken  in  his  Life  and  Works  of  John 
ArbtUhnot,  M.D.,  that  there  is  no  occasion  here  to  go  into  the 
minute  details  of  his  career,  which  will  be  very  briefly 
summarized. 

He  was  baptized  at  Arbuthnott  Church  29th  April,  1667, 
and  educated  at  Marischal  College,  Aberdeen.  On  his  father's 
death  in  i6gi  he  applied  for  leave  to  put  up  a  monument  to 
his  memory  above  his  grave  at  Arbuthnott,  but  certain 
objections  were  made  and  conditions  laid  down  by  Lord 
Arbuthnott  (who  supported  the  Presbyterian  party,  then 
newly  come  into  power),  and  this  possibly  .deterred  John 
Arbuthnot  from  his  purpose.'  There  is,  at  any  rate,  no  monu- 
ment to  his  father  now  extant  at  Arbuthnott. 

John  Arbuthnot  probably  came  to  London  very  shortly 
after  his  father's  death  in  1691.  He  was  for  a  time  at  Univer- 
sity College,  Oxford.  He  soon  became  known  as  a  writer, 
and  in  1696,  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine,  he  took  his  doctor's 
degree  at  St.  Andrew's.  Accident  calling  him  to  attend 
Prince  George  of  Denmark  at  Epsom  in  1705,  he  was  directly 
afterwards  appointed  Physician-Extraordinary  to  the  Queen. 
In    1709    he    became    Physician-in-Ordinary,    and    gradually 

'  Of  Catherine  Ochterlony 's  parentage  nothing  is  known,  but  it  is  possible 
that  she  was  a  daughter  of  the  Rev.  David  Ochterlony,  who  was  minister  of  the 
neighbouring  parish  of  Fordoun  about  this  time.  He  died  in  1691,  aged  about 
68,  his  wife,  Margaret  Carnegie,  having  died  in  1647.  One  daughter  of  his  married 
James  Farquharson  of  TuUochcoy. 

»  Aitken,  p.  7. 


156  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

acquired  a  considerable  influence  at  Court.  Anne  was  at 
this  time  a  stout,  middle-aged  woman  of  forty-four,  suffering 
much  from  gout,  while  we  may  borrow  Miss  Strickland's 
phrase  and  add  that  "  devouring  large  quantities  of  food 
was  this  queen's  propensity,  rather  than  a  dainty  discrimination 
regarding  its  quahty."  She  was  a  weak  woman,  to  whom  it 
was  an  absolute  necessity  to  shelter  herself  under  the  influence 
of  a  stronger  personality.  For  many  years  the  Duchess  of 
Marlborough  had  reigned  supreme  over  her  "  poor,  unfortunate, 
faithful  Morley,"  but  at  the  time  when  Dr.  Arbuthnot  first 
came  into  close  contact  with  the  Court,  the  haughty  favourite's 
influence  was  on  the  wane.  The  interior  of  Kensington  Palace 
was  at  this  period  agitated  by  many  cross-currents  and 
conflicting  intrigues.  Robert  Harley,  a  former  protege  of 
the  Duke  of  Marlborough's,  saw  an  opportunity  in  Queen 
Anne's  growing  estrangement  from  the  Duchess  to  advance 
his  own  interests  and  supplant  his  benefactor.  He  paid 
assiduous  court  to  Abigail  Masham,  the  bedchamber  woman — 
who  also  owed  everything  to  the  Marlboroughs,  having  been 
raised  from  obscurity  to  a  position  at  Court  through  the 
Duchess's  kindness — who  was  then  chmbing  into  favour,  and 
engaged  in  undermining  the  woman  who  had  made  her  fortune. 
This  somewhat  mean  intrigue  succeeded  beyond  all  expectation. 
It  took  Harley  three  years  to  overturn  the  Marlborough- 
Godolphin  Ministry,  which,  at  the  commencement  of  the 
reign,  had  seemed  so  securely  established  in  the  Queen's  favour. 
The  last  violent  and  dramatic  interview  between  the  Queen 
and  her  once  loved  "  Mrs.  Freeman  "  took  place  at  Kensington 
on  Sunday,  6th  April,  1710.  That  interview  was  the  death- 
knell  of  the  Marlborough  administration.  It  had  been  a 
great  ministry,  and  it  was  succeeded  by  one  of  mere  intriguers, 
place-hunters,  and  opportunists.  Not  even  the  distinction 
of  having  been  founder  of  the  magnificent  Harleian  Collection 
— now  in  the  British  Museum  and  the  property  of  the  nation 
— can  reconcile  us  to  the  dubious  political  career  of  Robert 
Harley,  Earl  of  Oxford.  But  dubious  and  disappointing  as 
it  was,  he  was  no  St.  John,  and  in  his  subsequent  quarrel 
with  the  latter  showed  a  dignity  and  restraint  unknown  and 
impossible  to  that  arch-intriguer  and  betrayer  of  every  cause 
and  principle  in  turn. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    157 

Dr.  Arbuthnot,  both  on  public  grounds,  as  approving 
of  the  Peace  of  Utrecht,  and  through  private  friendship, 
supported  Harley.  From  one  of  Swift's  letters,"  we  know 
that  he  played  "  a  great  part "  in  the  expulsion  of  the 
Marlborough-Godolphin  ministry  in  1710.  He  was  a  friend 
and  supporter  of  Abigail  Masham's,  but  it  is  not  clear  that 
he  approved  of  her  violent  quarrel  with  Harley  in  1714,  when 
feelings  ran  so  high  that  the  latter  exclaimed,  in  the  Queen's 
presence,  that  "  he  would  leave  some  people  as  low  as  he 
found  them  when  they  first  attracted  his  notice."  ' 

It  would  seem  that  Dr.  Arbuthnot  expostulated  with  Mrs. 
Masham  about  this  time,  for  it  must  be  to  her  that  he  refers 
as  follows  in  a  letter  to  Swift :  "I  was  told  to  my  face  that 
what  I  said  in  this  case  went  for  nothing  ;  that  I  did  not  care 
if  the  great  person's  (i.e.  Queen  Anne's)  affairs  went  to  entire 
ruin,  so  I  could  support  the  interests  of  the  Dragon  ; '  that 
I  did  not  know  the  half  of  his  proceedings,"  etc. 

The  conclusion  one  comes  to,  in  analyzing  Dr.  Arbuthnot's 
attitude  towards  the  controversies  of  his  time,  is  that  he  was 
not  a  Jacobite  in  the  sense  that  he  was  willing  to  risk  civil 
war  by  recaUing  the  exiled  Royal  House,  but  that  he  rather 
agreed  with  Swift  in  preferring  the  Protestant  Succession, 
and  was,  in  fact,  what  Lord  Chesterfield  called  him — "  a 
Jacobite  by  prejudice,  and  a  Republican  by  reflexion  and 
reasoning."  It  seems  clear  that  he  supported  Bolingbroke 
and  Mrs.  Masham  only  so  far  as  their  schemes  tended  to 
establish  a  strong  Tory  Government  in  power  on  the  Queen's 
death.  An  anecdote  related  by  Miss  Strickland  in  her  Life 
of  Queen  Anne  suggests  that  Dr.  Arbuthnot  was  not  in  the 
counsels  of  the  extreme  Jacobites  in  iyi'\^  As  a  friend  of 
Mrs.  Masham,  he  certainly  came  under  the  condign  displeasure 
of  Sarah,  Duchess  of  Marlborough,  who  bitterly  reproached 
Queen  Anne  for  giving  her  confidence  to  "  Mrs.  Masham, 
her  sister,  and  a  Scotch  doctor,  and  others  one  is  ashamed 
to  name."  ' 

I  Swift  to  Arbuthnot,  22nd  July,   1714. 
»  SmoUet's  History  of  England,  vol.  x.  p.   186. 
3  This  was  a  nickname  given  to  Harley  by  Swift. 

<  See  Strickland's  Lives  of  the  Queens  of  England,  vol.  viii.  pp.  533-4,  note. 
i  Letter  from  the  Duchess  of  Marlborough  to  Queen   Anne.     Stricliland's 
Lives  of  the  Queens  of  England,  vol.  viii.  p.  383. 


158  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

There  are  several  letters  of  Arbuthnot's  among  the  Sloane 
MSS.  In  one,  dated  2nd  April,  1710,  he  refers  to  his  family 
arms  as  follows  :  "I  have  not  gott  my  seal  grav'd,  because 
I  had  resolved  once  to  have  the  crest  of  the  family  coat,  which 
is  three  malots  and  a  crescent  on  a  field  azure,  so  : — [then 
follows  a  sketch  of  the  arms,  as  borne  by  the  Viscount,  without 
mark  of  difference].  This  is  only  to  show  you  the  situation. 
They  can  draw  it  well  enough,  the  crest  is  a  peacock's  head, 
with  the  motto  Laus  Deo,  and  the  supporters  are  two  Griffins  ; 
this  is  the  family  coat,  which  I  think  I  shall  stick  to.  I  had 
once  a  mind  to  change  the  peacock's  head  for  a  common 
cock's  head,  with  the  motto  Vigilando,  being  proper  for  a 
physician,"  etc. 

This  letter  is  addressed  to  Sir  Hans  Sloane,  and  is 
signed,  as  were  all  Doctor  Arbuthnot's  letters,  "  John 
Arbuthnott."  The  Viscount's  branch  seem  to  have  adopted 
the  two  tt's  some  time  in  the  seventeenth  century,  and 
Doctor  Arbuthnot's  line  probably  followed  their  example.  As 
regards  the  arms,  neither  the  Doctor  nor  any  of  his  family 
appear  to  have  matriculated  them,  and  perhaps  he  was  not 
aware  that  he  had  not  the  right  to  bear  the  undifferenced 
arms. 

As  is  well  known,  Queen  Anne  died  very  suddenly,  and 
the  Jacobite  plans  miscarried  completely.  The  Queen's  will, 
even,  was  unsigned,  and  Dr.  Arbuthnot  and  the  Mashams 
found  themselves  almost  destitute.  Arbuthnot  was  some- 
thing of  a  philosopher,  and  took  a  whimsical  interest  in 
observing  the  altered  attitude  of  former  friends  after  his 
change  of  fortune.  He  had,  however,  friends  of  a  different 
calibre,  among  the  greatest  writers  and  wits  of  the  period. 
Swift,  Pope,  and  Gay  formed  with  Arbuthnot  a  brilliant 
group  in  the  literary  revival  of  Queen  Anne's  reign.  Arbuthnot 
is  known  as  the  inventor  of  the  character  of  "  John  Bull  " 
as  typifying  England,  though  very  few  people  who  use  the 
term  nowadays  have  any  idea  that  it  originated  with  him.' 
His  character  was  a  very  lovable  one.     He  knew  no  jealousy, 

■  Dr.  John  Arbuthnot's  History  of  John  Bull  was  a  pohtical  satire  which  had 
a  great  vogue  at  the  time.  It  was  written  to  denounce  the  war  with  France,  and 
to  defend  the  much-debated  Peace  of  Utrecht.  The  topical  allusions  were,  of 
course,  more  intelligible  to  his  generation  than  to  our  own,  and  the  humour  of 
it  more  apparent.  i 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    159 

and  his  carelessness  has  left  in  doubt  his  part  in  many  literary 
productions  beUeved  with  good  reason  to  be  partially  or 
entirely  his  work.  Lord  Chesterfield  even  tells  us  that  Dr. 
Arbuthnot's  sons  were  in  the  habit  of  making  kites  of  his 
manuscripts,  many  of  which  "  would  have  furnished  good 
matter  for  folios." 

Dr.  Arbuthnot  was  a  great  sufferer  from  asthma,  and  he 
moved  to  Hampstead  in  order  to  get  relief.  A  beautiful 
letter  of  his,  written  after  he  reahzed  that  for  him  there 
could  be  no  recovery,  has  been  printed  among  the  Works 
of  Pope,  to  whom  it  was  addressed."  Part  of  this  letter, 
which  is  dated  from  Hampstead,  17th  July,  1734,  runs  as 
follows  : 

"...  I  have  nothing  to  repa)^  my  friends  with  at  present, 
but  prayers  and  good  wishes.  I  have  the  satisfaction  to 
find  that  I  am  as  officiously  served  by  my  friends,  as  he 
that  has  thousands  to  leave  in  legacies  ;  besides  the  assu- 
rance of  their  sincerity.  God  Almighty  has  made  my  bodily 
distress  as  easy  as  a  thing  of  that  nature  can  be.  I  have 
found  some  relief,  at  least  sometimes,  from  the  air  of  this 
place.  My  nights  are  bad,  but  many  poor  creatures  have 
worse. 

"As  for  you,  my  good  friend,  I  think,  since. our  first 
acquaintance,  there  have  not  been  any  of  those  httle  sus- 
picions or  jealousies  that  often  affect  the  sincerest  friendships  ; 
I  am  sure,  not  on  my  side.  I  must  be  so  sincere  as  to  own, 
that  though  I  could  not  help  valuing  you  for  those  talents 
which  the  world  prizes,  yet  they  were  not  the  foundation  of 
my  friendships ;  they  were  quite  of  another  sort ;  nor  shall 
I  at  present  offend  you  by  enumerating  them  :  and  I  make 
it  my  last  request,  that  you  will  continue  that  Noble  Disdain 
and  Abhorrence  of  Vice,  which  you  seem  naturally  endued 
with  ;  but  still  with  a  due  regard  to  your  own  safety  ;  and 
study  more  to  reform  than  chastise,  though  the  one  cannot 
be  effected  without  the  other.  .  .  . 

"  A  recovery  in  my  case,  and  at  my  age,  is  impossible, 
the  kindest  wish  of  my  friends  is  Euthanasia.  ..." 

'  See  Works  of  Alexander  Pope,  edited  by  the  Rev.  Lisle  Bowles,  i8o6,  vol. 
viii.  pp.  290-2. 


160  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

In  October,  the  same  year,  Dr.  Arbuthnot  wrote  to  Swift 
as  follows  : ' 

"...  I  am  going  out  of  this  troublesome  world,  and  you, 
among  the  rest  of  my  friends,  shall  have  my  last  prayers, 
and  good  wishes.  ...  I  am,  at  present,  in  the  case  of  a  man 
that  was  almost  in  harbour,  and  then  blown  back  to  sea  ; 
who  has  a  reasonable  hope  of  going  to  a  good  place,  and  an 
absolute  certainty  of  leaving  a  very  bad  one.  Not  that  I 
have  any  particular  disgust  at  the  world  ;  for  I  have  as  great 
comfort  in  my  own  family,  and  from  the  kindness  of  my 
friends,  as  any  man  ;  but  the  world,  in  the  main,  displeases 
me  ;  and  I  have  too  true  a  presentiment  of  calamities  that 
are  likely  to  befal  my  country.  However,  if  I  should  have 
the  happiness  to  see  you  before  I  die,  you  will  find  that  I 
enjoy  the  comforts  of  life  with  my  usual  cheerfulness.  .  .  . 
My  family  give  you  their  love  and  service.  The  great  loss 
I  sustained  in  one  of  them '  gave  me  my  first  shock  ;  and  the 
trouble  I  have  with  the  rest,  to  bring  them  to  a  right  temper, 
to  bear  the  loss  of  a  father  who  loves  them,  and  whom  they 
love,  is  really  a  most  sensible  affliction  to  me.  I  am  afraid, 
my  dear  friend,  we  shall  never  see  one  another  more  in  this 
world.  I  shall,  to  the  last  moment,  preserve  my  love  and 
esteem  for  you,  being  well  assured  you  will  never  leave  the 
paths  of  virtue  and  honour  ;  for  all  that  is  in  this  world  is 
not  worth  the  least  deviation  from  that  way.  ..." 

Dr.  Arbuthnot  died  at  Hampstead  27th  February,  1735, 
and  was  buried  in  the  Church  of  St.  James's,  Piccadilly. 
His  wife's  maiden  name,'  strange  to  say,  has  never  been  dis- 
covered, though  the  date  of  her  death,  3rd  May,  1730,  has 

•  Works  of  Jonathan  Swiji,  edited  by  Sir  Walter  Scott,  1814,  vol.  xviii.  pp. 
285-7. 

'  He  refers  to  the  death  of  his  son  Charles  three  years  before. 

3  Her  Christian  name  was  Margaret.  The  burial  registers  of  St.  James's, 
Piccadilly,  show  that  "  Margaret  Arbuthnott  "  was  buried  there  6th  May,  1730. 
I  should  like  to  suggest  that  her  surname  may  have  been  Wemyss.  Her  daughter, 
Margaret,  leaves  a  legacy  in  her  will  to  "  my  aunt  Wemyss,"  and  tliis  may  give 
us  a  clue  as  to  the  family  into  which  Dr.  Arbuthnot  married.  Some  connection 
between  the  Wemyss  and  Arbuthnot  famihes  must  have  existed,  and  we  find 
George  Arbuthnot  of  Queen  Anne's  Guard  (the  Doctor's  brother)  appointing 
as  one  of  the  executors  to  liis  will  "John  Weemyss  of  Suffolk  St.,  chirurgeon," 
in  1729. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    161 

been   recorded  in  periodicals  of   the  day.      By  her  he  had 
issue — 

I.  George,  born  1703.  Was  Clerk  to  the  Exchequer 
and  first  Secretary  of  the  King's  Remembrancer's 
Office,  which  post  he  occupied  for  twenty-eight 
years.  He  died  8th  September,  1779,  aged  seventy- 
six,  unmarried.  Towards  the  end  of  his  life  he 
lived  at  Richmond,  with  his  French  cousins, 
EUzabeth  and  Esther  Arbuthnot. 

II.  Charles  (Rev.),  born  1705,  was  M.A,  of  Oxford, 
entered  Holy  Orders  at  Dublin,  1730.  He  died 
2nd  December,  1731,  his  death  being  a  bitter 
grief  to  his  father.  Some  verses  by  Charles 
Arbuthnot  were  prefixed  to  his  father's  Tables 
of  Ancient  Coins,  published  in  1727. 
I.  Anne,  a  very  accomphshed  lady,  a  friend  of  the 
poet  Gay,  for  whose  Beggar's  Opera  she  is  said 
to  have  composed  or  adapted  the  airs.  She  died 
unmarried  in  1751,  administration  being  granted 
to  her  brother  George,  9th  February,  that  year. 

II.  Margaret,  died  unmarried.  In  her  will,  proved 
2nd  June,  1740,  by  her  brother  George  Arbuthnot, 
she  leaves  £300  to  "  my  dear  uncle  Robert,"  the 
same  amount  to  "  my  aunt  Wemyss,"  to  her 
brother  George  £100,  and  to  "  Cousin  Charles 
Lamy  "  £20.' 

It  will  be  noticed  that  none  of  the  Doctor's  children 
married,  and  this  line  therefore  became  extinct,  as,  it  is 
beheved,  did  that  of  his  brother  Robert,  the  banker  at 
Rouen,  which  we  shall  take  next. 

Robert  Arbuthnot,  second  son  of  the  Rev.  Alexander 
Arbuthnot  and  Margaret  Lammie,  was  baptized  at  Arbuthnott 
Church,  3rd  June,  1669.  As  a  young  man  of  twenty  he  fought 
in  Dundee's  army  at  the  battle  of  Kilhecrankie,  27th  July, 
1689,  where  the  Highlanders  scored  a  temporary  success, 
which,    however,    it    proved    impossible    to    follow    up.     His 

»  P.C.C,   Browne,   i5i.     Perhaps  this  is  the  "  Mrs.   Margaret  Arbuthnot  " 
who  was  buried  at  Morden,  Surrey,  29th  May,  1740. — See   the  Genealogist,  vol. 
vii.  p.  39  ;  Registers  of  Morden,  Surrey. 
11 


162  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

prospects  being  ruined  with  the  failure  of  the  Stuart  cause, 
Robert  Arbuthnot,  Uke  many  other  Jacobites,  went  abroad, 
and  took  up  business  as  a  banker  at  Rouen,  where  he  founded 
the  firm  of  "  Arbuthnot  et  Cie."  ' 

Mr.  Aitken's  researches  show  him  to  have  been  concerned 
in  the  negotiations  started  by  the  Tories  in  the  last  years  of 
Queen  Anne's  reign  for  bringing  in  the  Chevaher  de  St.  George 
as  King  after  her  death.  These  plans,  in  which  Lady  Masham 
and  Bolingbroke  were  deeply  concerned,  had  the  approval  of 
the  Queen,  but  her  death,  happening  with  unexpected  sudden- 
ness in  August,  1714,  threw  the  Jacobites  into  dismay,  and 
was  ruinous  to  their  hopes.  The  Whigs  seized  the  reins  of 
government,  and  a  vigorous  prosecution  of  the  Tory  ministers 
immediately  followed.  In  the  Report  of  the  Committee  to  the 
House  of  Commons  of  9th  June,  1715,  the  name  of  Robert 
Arbuthnot  constantly  occurs,  as  a  correspondent  and  abettor 
of  the  disgraced  ministers,  who  paid  the  penalty  of  failure, 
lack  of  organization,  and  fatal  disagreement  among  themselves. 

At  this  point,  when  the  Jacobite  party  appeared  to  be 
utterly  crushed  and  the  accession  of  the  Elector  of  Hanover 
seemed  to  have  been  bloodlessly  secured,  a  serious  insurrection 
broke  out  in  Scotland,  and  in  September,  1715,  the  Earl  of 
Mar,  after  a  good  deal  of  vacillation — to  use  no  stronger 
term — raised  the  Royal  Standard  at  Braemar,  in  the  name 
of  King  James  VIII.  A  French  invasion  of  England  was 
planned  simultaneously  with  this  enterprise,  and  both  Robert 
Arbuthnot  and  his  brother  George — who,  hke  him,  was  an 
ardent    Jacobite    and    was    in    France    at    this    time — threw 

«  Robert  Arbuthnot  at  some  time  in  his  life  obtained  a  birthbrief  from  the 
Lyon  Office,  showing  his  arms  and  descent  from  his  eight  great-grandparents. 
An  illustration  of  this  document  will  be  found  facing  this  page.  It  is  a  curious  cir- 
cumstance that  after  settling  in  France  Robert  Arbuthnot  seems  to  have  abandoned 
his  family  arms,  for  in  1696  we  find  that  his  arms  were  recorded  in  the  Armorier- 
Geiieral  de  France  as  "  d'argent,  d  trots  arbres  arraches  de  sinople,  2  et  i."  Here 
he  is  styled  "  Robert  Arbuthnot,  niarchand  en  gros  a  Rouen."  The  device  adopted 
— three  trees — suggests  an  erroneous  idea  that  his  surname  had  an  arboreal  deriva- 
tion, for  we  find  ihat  various  French  families  whose  surnames  began  with  "  Arb  " 
used  trees  as  the  principal  charge  in  their  arms.  Arbo  d'Albret  bore  in  the  second 
and  third  quarters  "  d'argent  A  deux  arbres  de  sinople s,"  and  Arboussier  deLanguedoc 
bore  "  d'argent  d  un  arbre  de  sinople." — See  Armorier-General  de  France,  edited  by 
G.  A.  Prevost,  and  Dictionnaire  de  la  Noblesse,  by  de  La  Chenaye-Desbois  et  Badiei . 
Did  the  uprooted  tree  suggest  Robert  Arbuthnot's  sense  of  banishment  from  his 
native  land  ?  Perhaps  a  little  touch  of  sentiment  has  found  its  way — not  for 
the  first  time — into  the  herald's  conventional  design. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    163 

themselves  wholeheartedly  into  the  scheme.  Robert  is  said 
to  have  advanced  £10,000  on  behalf  of  the  Duke  of  Marlborough, 
who  alwaj^s  managed  to  have  a  little  interest  in  either  of 
the  rival  courts,  while  in  February,  1716,  it  is  stated  that 
George  Arbuthnot,  who  is  several  times  described  as  a  "  wine- 
merchant,"  "  has  a  ship  at  Diep  reddy  to  sail  with  the  first 
fair  wind,  and  put  on  board  both  Burgundie  and  Champagne, 
with  twenty  hogsheads  of  true  Claret  for  your  Grace,  which 
I  hope  will  come  in  good  season."  ' 

James  never  benefited  by  this  latter  contribution,  for 
before  the  date  of  its  despatch  he  had  left  for  ever  the  unhappy 
land  that  had  suffered  and  was  destined  to  suffer  so  much 
for  his  unfortunate  race.  He  had  landed  at  Peterhead — where 
an  Arbuthnot  had  the  distinction  of  raising  the  tenantry 
on  the  Marischal  estate  for  his  service,  as  will  be  related  in 
its  place— only  to  find  his  cause  already  nearly  desperate. 
No  wonder  that  a  settled  melancholy  was  observed  in  James. 
From  all  sides  he  received  news  of  fresh  misfortunes,  and  the 
utter  incapacity  of  Lord  Mar  soon  showed  itself.  He  must 
also  have  been  cut  to  the  heart  by  the  news  of  the  disaster 
at  Preston  and,  following  upon  it,  the  execution  of  the  friend 
of  his  boyhood,  Lord  Derwentwater,  one  of  the  "  rebel " 
lords  who  surrendered  after  that  action.' 

■  Letter  from  General  George  Hamilton  to  the  Earl  of  Mar,  13th  February, 
1 716.     Quoted  in  Aitken's  Life  of  Doctor  Arbuthnot,  p.  84. 

>  The  star  of  the  terrible  '15  set  in  blood  and  horror,  no  hour  of  it  more  tragic 
than  that  which  saw  the  uncalled-for  sacrifice  of  the  young  Lord  Derwentwater's 
life.  George  I  and  Walpole,  while  reprieving  some  of  the  others,  reached  the 
immovable  decision  that  no  mercy  should  be  shown  in  his  case.  "  The  House  of 
Lords  voted  a  petition  to  the  King  to  reprieve  such  of  the  rebel  lords  as  deserved 
his  pardon,"  writes  the  Marchesa  Vitelleschi  {A  Court  in  Exile,  vol.  i.  p.  64),  "  but 
unfortunately  there  was  no  Queen-consort,  or  surely  she  would  have  obtained 
a  reprieve  for  the  young,  gallant,  and  beloved  Derwentwater."  The  defence  put 
forward  at  Lord  Derwentwater's  trial  has  been  thought  somewhat  lacking  in 
dignity,  and  it  is  certainly  a  matter  for  undying  regret  that  he  should  have  been 
advised  to  frame  it  in  words  that  read  almost  like  an  apology.  There  was,  we 
must  remember,  no  precedent  for  the  '15,  and  the  agonized  entreaties  of  a  young 
and  beautiful  wife,  the  unconscious  appeal  of  some  small  children,  the  prospective 
ruin  of  his  house  and,  with  it,  the  loss  of  all  that  made  life  beautiful  and  gracious, 
must  be  taken  into  account  when  weighing  the  motives  of  those  disastrous,  stupe- 
fying hours  of  February,  1716.  The  despondency  and  confusion  of  mind  that 
seem  to  have  momentarily  overwhelmed  Lord  Derwentwater  after  sentence  had 
been  pronounced  were  due  to  the  torturing  anxiety  lest  he  might  be  held  to  have 
compromised  his  loyalty  by  an  ignoble  submission.  It  was  only  when  asked  to 
make  some  small  concession  with  regard  to  his  religion  (he  was  a  Roman  Catholic) 
that  Lord   Derwentwater,   disdaining  to  stoop  to  subterfuge,   however  trifling. 


164  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

After  the  '15,  those  of  James'  adherents  who  managed 
to  make  good  their  escape  fled  to  the  continent.  To  these, 
Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Rouen  showed  all  the  kindness  in  his 
power,  and  what  money  could  do  to  relieve  and  comfort  those 
who  had  lost  all  in  the  service  of  the  unfortunate  house  of 
Stuart  was  cheerfully  and  generously  done  by  him.  He 
became  known  as  "  the  Philanthropic  Robert  of  Rouen." 
"  He  lived  in  a  state  of  princely  magnificence,"  writes  John 
Moir,  "  the  friend  and  father  of  all  the  unfortunate  adherents 
of  the  exiled  James  VII,  as  well  as  of  every  human  being." 

On  17th  August,  1716,  Robert  Arbuthnot  was  created  a 
Baronet  of  Scotland,  with  remainder  to  his  lawful  heirs,  by 
James  III  at  Avignon.' 

In  1721  Robert  Arbuthnot  was  one  of  the  "  syndics " 
appointed  to  wind  up  the  affairs  of  John  Law,  after  the  failure 
of  the  Mississipi  scheme.' 

There  is  a  description  of  him  in  a  letter  written  by  Pope 
to  the  Hon.  Robert  Digby  in  1722.  After  referring  to  the 
Doctor,  he  says :  "  His  brother,  who  is  lately  come  into 
England,  goes  also  to  the  Bath,  and  is  a  more  extraordinary 
man  than  he,  worth  your  going  thither  on  purpose  to  know 
him.  The  spirit  of  philanthropy,  so  long  dead  to  our  world, 
is  revived  in  him  :  he  is  a  philosopher  all  of  fire  ;  so  warmly, 
nay  so  wildly  in  the  right,  that  he  forces  all  others  about 
him  to  be  so  too,  and  draws  them  into  his  own  vortex.  He 
is  a  star  that  looks  as  if  it  were  all  fire,  but  is  all  benignity, 

found  himself  able  to  refuse  his  life  with  dignity,  and  from  that  moment  recovered 
complete  serenity  of  mind.  His  simple,  touching  words  on  the  scaffold  show  how 
deeply  he  regretted  the  ambiguity  of  his  defence. 

But  Lord  Derwentwater  will  never  be  misunderstood  by  those  to  whom  the 
roll  of  the  Jacobites  is  sacred — consecrated  by  the  blinding  tears  of  centuries  of 
regret.  There  are  names  as  inspiring  on  that  proud  roll,  but  none  more  noble, 
in  the  best  sense  of  the  word,  than  that  of  James  Radclifle,  third  Earl  of  Derwent- 
water. Round  the  grey  towers  of  his  old  home  in  Northumberland,  the  northern 
lights  played  fitfully  and  with  unusual  brightness  the  night  of  his  death.  His 
tenantry,  whose  devotion  had  saved  him  from  arrest  in  the  first  days  of  the 
insurrection — when  the  young  man,  undecided  as  to  the  line  of  conduct  he  should 
follow,  found  a  warrant  already  out  against  him  and  was  almost  driven  into 
rebelhon — christened  them  "  Lord  Derwentwater's  Lights,"  and  so  they  have 
ever  since  been  called  in  the  locality. 

'  Historical  MSS.  Commission.  Calendar  of  Stuart  Papers  at  Windsor  Castle, 
vol.  iv.  p.  56.  Many  letters  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  are  printed  among  the  Stuart 
MSS. 

»  Letter  of  Mr.  G.  A.  Aitken  in  the  Athencsttm,  i8th  June,  1892. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  165 

all  gentle  and  beneficial  influence.  If  there  be  other  men  in 
the  world  that  would  serve  a  friend,  yet  he  is  the  only  one, 
I  believe,  that  would  make  even  an  enemy  serve  a  friend."  • 

In  a  letter  of  Doctor  Arbuthnot's,  dated  September  1723, 
there  is  a  reference  to  his  brother  Robert.  After  referring  to 
Lord  Peterborough,  he  says  the  latter  "  is  mightily  enamoured 
of  my  brother  Robert ;  he  is  indeed  a  knight-errant  like 
himself.  .  .  ."  ' 

In  1732  Robert  Arbuthnot  was  instrumental  in  procuring 
the  arrest  in  Rome  of  Thompson,  the  chief  criminal  in  the 
vast  swindling  concern  known  as  the  Charitable  Corporation. 
In  one  of  his  letters  he  claims  to  have  expended  the  sum  of 
2,000  Uvres  to  bring  to  Paris  the  papers  which  had  been  seized 
with  Thompson.  "  I  believe  the  discovery  was  hardly 
expected  to  come  from  Rome,  but  whatever  way  it 
comes,  it  will  save  many  thousands  of  pounds  to  the  poor 
sufferers."  » 

He  is  mentioned  in  the  will  of  his  brother,  the  Doctor 
(drawn  up  in  1733  and  proved  March,  1735),  who  leaves  his 
watch  to  "  my  dearest  and  most  affectionate  brother  Robert."  < 

Robert  Arbuthnot  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife's 
name  is  unknown,  but  she  was  living  in  1717,  in  which  year 
she  is  mentioned  as  "  a  black-hearted  Huguenot  "  in  a  letter 
from  Dr.  Patrick  Abercromby  to  the  Duke  of  Mar,  dated  from 
Paris,  i8th  January,  1717.' 

Dr.  Abercromby  states  that  the  contents  of  papers  relating 
to  the  late  rebellion  entrusted  to  Robert  Arbuthnot  are  known 
to  have  been  betrayed  to  the  English  Ambassador  in  Paris, 
Lord  Stair,  and  imphes  that  Mrs.  Arbuthnot  may  have  been 
the  guilty  party.  He  relates  that  when  she  was  recently  in 
London,  she  was  "  petitioning  for  a  pension."  Robert 
Arbuthnot  himself  came  under  some  unjust  suspicion  among 
the  Jacobites  about  this  time,  owing  to  his  having  been  con- 
fused with  another  Robert  Arbuthnot,  then  in  Lord  Stair's 

•  Aitken's  Life  of  Dr.  John  Arbuthnot,  p.  loi. 
'  Ibid.,  p.   104. 

3  Letter  from  Robert  Arbuthnot  to  Earl  Waldegrave,  22nd  May,  1732. — 
Add.  MSS.,  32777,  f.  59. 

4  Aitken,  p.  159. 

i  Historical  MSS.  Commission.  Calendar  of  Stuart  Papers  at  Windsor  Castle, 
vol.  iii.  p.  456. 


166  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

employ,  and  who  was  very  active  in  discovering  and  frus- 
trating the  Jacobite  schemes." 

Very  possibly  the  two  wives  were  also  confused,  and  the 
implication  against  the  banker's  wife  is  probably  quite  un- 
founded. In  1718  James  Ogilvie  of  Boyne  wrote  to  the  Duke 
of  Mar  to  defend  Robert  Arbuthnot  from  the  injurious  reports 
then  current,  and  the  Duke,  in  his  reply,  wrote  as  follows  : 

"...  You  certainly  had  a  very  honest  meaning  in  giving 
me  an  account  of  that  idle  story  about  Mr.  Arbuthnot.  His 
character  is  better  established  and  of  an  older  date  than  to 
be  called  in  question  on  any  such  trifling  story."  ' 

Robert  Arbuthnot  married  secondly,  in  1726  (settlement 
dated  nth  and  12th  July,  that  year),  EHzabeth  Duke,  of  the 
family  of  Duke  of  Benhall,  Suffolk.  Although  the  Gentleman's 
Magazine  states  that  he  married  "  a  widow  in  Suffolk  of  ;^6oo 
a-year,"  it  does  not  appear  from  her  will,  dated  22nd  June, 
1729  (the  year  of  her  death),  that  she  had  been  previously 
married.  The  settlement  of  1726  is  therein  mentioned  as 
having  been  made  between  "me,  then  Elizabeth  Duke,  of 
the  first  part,  the  said  Robert  Arbuthnott  of  the  second," 
etc.,  and  she  bequeaths  her  manor  of  Bentley  to  her  husband 
for  life  and  after  him  to  "  my  kinsman.  Sir  Edward  Duke  of 
Benhall,  co.  Suffolk,  Bart."  She  bequeaths  to  her  mother, 
Margaret  Duke,  an  annuity  of  £30  a-year.'  She  makes  no 
mention  of  children,  and  her  husband  is  described  as  "  Robert 
Arbuthnott  of  Paris,  France,  banker,"  and  it  is  stated  that 
he  "  now  resides  with  me  at  Hampstead."  Perhaps  husband 
and  wife  were  not  on  quite  the  happiest  terms  at  this  time, 
for,  after  bequeathing  her  plate  and  jewels  to  Sir  Edward 

>  This  Robert  Arbuthnot  was  Auditor  of  the  Exchequer  in  Scotland,  and 
seems  also  to  have  managed  Lord  Stair's  business  affairs.  He  died  in  London, 
in  Lord  Stair's  house  in  Hanover  Square,  4th  August,  1727.  After  his  death. 
Dr.  John  Arbuthnot  was  requested  to  be  present  at  the  opening  of  his  papers, 
"  to  see  if  it  were  worth  while  for  his  wife,  Elizabeth  Arbuthnot,  who  was  then 
in  Scotland,  to  administer  to  him,"  etc.  {Chancery  Proceedings,  1714-58,  235/2). 
His  parentage  is  quite  unknown,  but  his  wife  was  a  daughter  of  James  Carnegie 
of  Craigo. 

'  Letter  from  the  Duke  of  Mar  to  James  Ogilvie  of  Boyne,  19th  March,  1718. 
— Calendar  of  Stuart  Papers  at  Windsor  Castle,  vol.  vi.  p.   169. 

I  The  family  of  Duke  of  Benhall  had  been  settled  in  Suffolk  since  the  middle 
of  the  sixteenth  century.  The  Sir  Edward  Duke  mentioned  in  this  will  died  in 
1732.  when  the  Baronetcy  became  extinct. — See  Burke's  Extinct  Baronetagg. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    167 

Duke,  the  testatrix  adds  :  "  But  should  my  husband  refuse 
to  let  him  have  them,  then  I  revoke  the  sum  devised  to  my 
husband,"  etc. 

Robert  Arbuthnot  died  in  1741,  and  in  September  that 
year  we  find  admonition  of  the  goods  of  "  Robert  Arbuthnot, 
late  of  the  City  of  Paris  in  the  kingdom  of  France,  a  widower," 
granted  to  George  Ochterlony,  "  attorney  of  John  Arbuthnot, 
son  of  the  deceased,  to  the  use  of  the  said  John,  now  residing 
in  the  said  City  of  Paris." 

Robert  Arbuthnot  had  issue,  doubtless  by  his  first  wife, 
a  son — 

John  Arbuthnot,  Chevalier  de  St.  Louis,  living  in  Paris  in 
1741.  He  is  said  to  have  married  a  French  lady,  and  he  had 
issue — 

I.  Alexander,   who    is    mentioned  in   the   will  of    his 

cousin,    George    Arbuthnot,    son    of    the    Doctor, 

who  died  in  1779.     He  left  to  Alexander  £2,000 

Old  South  Sea  Annuity  Stock.     No  more  is  known 

of  Alexander,   but   it   is   believed   that   with   him 

the  French  line  became  extinct." 

I.  Esther.      Mr.    Aitken   notices   a   letter,    in   French, 

addressed    by    her    to    Doctor    Hunter    in    1779, 

stating  that  she  wished  to  present  a  portrait  of 

her    great-uncle,    the    Doctor,    to    the    University 

of  Aberdeen.     No  trace  of  this  portrait  can  now 

be  found,  and  it  does  not  appear  ever  to  have 

been  presented  to  the  University. 

H.  Elizabeth.     These   two   sisters   were   known   in    the 

family     as     "  the    French     Ladies,"     and    lived 

latterly  with  their  cousin    George   at    Richmond. 

They  were  appointed  executrixes  to  his  will,  and 

with  their  brother  participated  in  his  estate. 

George  Arbuthnot  of   Kinghornie,   fifth  son  of  the   Rev. 

Alexander  Arbuthnot   (but    only   child   by   the   second  wife, 

Catherine   Ochterlony),  was   baptized   in   Arbuthnott   Church 

15th  February,  1688.     The  following  year,  as  we  have  seen, 

his  father  was  ejected  from  his  living,  and  having  purchased 

the  small  estate  of  Kinghornie  in  1690,  he  settled  there  with 

I  The  author  has  quite  recently  been  informed  of  the  existence  of  a  French 
family  of  the  name  of  Arbuthnot,  who  may,  perhaps,  descend  from  the  above 
Alexander 


168  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

his  family.  The  Rev.  Alexander  Arbuthnot  died  in  1691, 
and  in  May,  1694,  "  Catharine  Ouchterlonie,  widow  of  Mr. 
Alexander  Arbuthnot,  sometime  rector  of  Arbuthnot,"  got 
sasine  of  the  lands  of  Kinghornie,  to  herself  in  liferent  and 
her  son  George  in  fee.' 

This  son  George  became  an  officer  in  Queen  Anne's  Guard,» 
but,  inheriting  strongly  his  family's  traditional  loyalty  to 
the  Stuarts,  he  left  England  on  the  Queen's  death  and  embarked 
on  a  business  career  in  France.  He  is  stated  to  have  become 
a  wine-merchant,  and  later  to  have  entered  the  service  of  the 
East  India  Company.  In  1729,  just  after  his  wife's  death, 
he  engaged  himself  as  super-cargo  on  one  of  the  Company's 
vessels  bound  for  China,  and  the  voyage  turned  out  to  be 
more  eventful  than  was  anticipated,  for  we  read  that  "  the 
super-cargoes  conspired  to  wrong  the  Company  and  agreed 
(with  the  exception  of  Arbuthnot)  to  say  that  they  had  received 
less  than  what  they  really  obtained  for  the  goods  and  to 
represent  the  cost  of  what  they  bought  as  greater  than  it 
was.  ..."  George  Arbuthnot,  in  the  statement  he  subse- 
quently drew  up,  says  that  "  he  opposed  the  contract,  .  .  . 
but  receiving  no  support  was  obUged  to  agree."  It  was  on 
information  received  from  him  that  the  Company  afterwards 
took  action.  The  suit  was  formally  brought  against  George 
Arbuthnot  and  the  other  super-cargoes,  but  the  real  feeling 
of  the  Company  towards  him  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  they 

"  General  Register  of  Sasines,  vol.  67.  It  appears  that  after  her  husband's 
death,  Catharine  Ochterlony  married  a  second  time,  for  in  1698  she  was  the  wife 
of  "Robert  Gordon  of  Kinghornie,"  who,  it  appears,  was  "  brother-german  to 
the  Laird  of  Daach."  This  information  was  extracted  from  the  records  at  Stone- 
haven by  Dr.  W.  A.  Macnaugliton  and  sent  to  Mr.  G.  Aitken  in  1908.  Another 
extract  (taken  from  the  Register  of  Services,  Curatories,  and  Other  Deeds,  from  1697 
to  1739)  shows  that  "  Att  Stonhaven  the  Eighteenth  day  of  March,  1699  years, 
in  presence  of  Master  James  Keith  of  Auquhorst,  Sheriff-Depute  of  Kincardine, 
etc.  etc.  .  .  .  The  said  day,  anent  the  summonds  and  action  raised  and  persued 
att  the  instance  of  James,  (?  John),  Alexander,  Robert  and  Anna  Arbuthnott  in 
tounheid  of  Boghall,  Against  Katharen  Ouchterlonie,  relict  of  the  deceast  Mr. 
Alexander  Arbuthnott,  late  parson  of  Arbuthnott  and  Robert  Gordone  of  King- 
hornie, now  her  husband,  for  his  interest  toutching  the  s"  defender  and  her  said 
husband  for  his  interest,"  etc. 

»  This  was  evidently  the  Scottish  Royal  Guard,  which  was  joined  to  Queen 
Anne's  English  bodyguard  after  the  Union,  on  the  advice  of  the  Duke  of  Argyll. 
Miss  Strickland  writes  :  "So  recently  as  the  year  of  her  accession,  these  guards, 
commanded  by  the  Earl  of  Orkney,  had  not  adopted  the  use  of  fire-arms  ;  for 
the  Scots  Royals  wore  heavy  steel  caps  and  used  bows  and  arrows,  with  broad- 
swords and  targets." — Lives  of  the  Queens  of  Scotland,  vol.  viii.  p.  395. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  169 

continued  to  employ  him,  and  on  his  death  assigned  ;f  1,000 
to  his  httle  boy.' 

George  Arbuthnot  certainly  married  a  Miss  Robinson, 
whose  father  was  a  portrait-painter  and  is  said  to  have 
belonged  to  an  old  Leicestershire  family,  apparently  Roman 
Cathohcs.  Mr.  Robinson  had  three  daughters,  and  some  little 
doubt  has  arisen  as  to  the  identity  of  George  Arbuthnot's 
wife.  John  Moir  says  that  he  married  "  Miss  Margaret 
Robinson,  .  .  .  sister  to  the  celebrated  Anastasia  Robinson, 
who  was  married  to  the  great  Earl  of  Peterborough."  There 
appears  to  have  been  some  confusion  as  to  this  Margaret, 
for  Sir  John  Hawkins  states  that  she  married  a  Colonel  Bowles, 
whereas  it  was  Elizabeth  Robinson  who  married  Colonel 
Bowles,  as  is  clear  from  Lady  Peterborough's  will,  dated 
4th  January,  1755,  in  which  she  leaves  "  to  sister  Ehzabeth 
Bowles  £500."  A  very  circumstantial,  but  evidently  not 
quite  accurate,  account  of  the  three  Robinson  sisters  is  given 
by  Sir  John  Hawkins  in  his  History  of  Music,  the  details  having 
been  supplied  to  him  by  the  Duchess  of  Portland,  who  knew 
the  Robinsons  intimately.  Sir  John's  account  of  them  is 
as  follows  :  The  eldest  was  Anastasia,  the  celebrated  singer, 
the  story  of  whose  romantic  marriage  to  the  brilliant  and 
eccentric  Lord  Peterborough,  her  vicissitudes  and  the  invidious 
position  in  which  she  was  placed  by  her  husband's  refusal 
to  make  their  marriage  public  for  many  years,  and  the  repara- 
tion he  finally  made  her  for  this  injury,  is  well  known  ;  the 
second  daughter,  whom  Sir  John  calls  Margaret,  but  who 
was  really  Elizabeth,  was  trained  to  be  a  miniature-painter, 
but  "  slighted  her  studies  and,  deviating  into  her  sister's 
track,  would  learn  nothing  but  music";  had  a  delicate  ear 
and  great  powers  of  execution,  and  would  have  shared  her 
elder  sister's  celebrity  but  for  an  unconquerable  "  bashful- 
ness,"  which  had  its  origin  in  the  fact  that  she  was  "  lower 
in  stature  than  the  lowest  of  her  sex."  This  being  so.  Sir 
John  Hawkins  relates,  with  apparent  astonishment  and  in 
italics,  that  "  with  these  disadvantages  she  was  not  destitute  of 
attractions :  a  gentleman  of  the  army,  Colonel  Bowles,  liked 
and  married  her !  "  From  the  description  of  the  supposed 
Margaret's  personal  appearance  alone,  it  is  not  possible  that 

'  Letter  of  Mr.  G.  A.  Aitken  in  the  Athenaum,  June  i8,  1892. 


170  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

she  can  have  been  the  same  sister  of  Lady  Peterborough 
whom  Dr.  Burney,  on  the  authority  of  Mrs.  Delany,  describes 
as  a  "  very  pretty,  accomphshed  woman,  who  married  Dr. 
Arbuthnot's  brother."  ' 

There  was,  however,  a  third  sister,  daughter  to  Mr.  Robinson 
by  a  second  wife,  whose  Christian  name  Sir  John  does  not 
mention,  and  who  was  "  married  to  Mr.  George  Arbuthnot, 
a  wine-merchant,  a  brother  of  Dr.  Arbuthnot,  the  physician 
and  friend  of  Pope."  This  was  certainly  Margaret,  and  she 
died  in  1729,  shortly  after  the  birth  of  her  son. 

George  Arbuthnot  died  in  China  in  1733.  In  his  will, 
dated  24th  November,  1729,  he  directs  that  after  payment 
of  his  debts  all  the  residue  of  his  estate  should  go  to  his  son 
John,  "  for  his  sole  use  and  behoof."  '  He  appointed  Dr. 
John  Arbuthnot,  John  Wemyss,  and  Alexander  Ochterlony 
"  of  London,  merchant,"  executors  of  his  will,  or,  in  case  of 
their  decease  during  the  child's  nonage,  George  Ochterlony, 
Thomas  Walls,  and  Charles  Irvine  of  Rouen. 

George  Arbuthnot  left  one  only  son — 

John  Arbuthnot,  of  Kinghornie,  afterwards  of  Ravensbury, 
near  Mitcham,  of  Boulogne,  and  finally  of  Rockfieet  Castle, 
Co.  Mayo,  born  in  1729.  He  was  only  four  years  old  at  the 
time  of  his  father's  death.  In  1754,  having  reached  his 
twenty-fifth  year,  he  was  retoured  heir  to  his  father — styled 
"  Captain  "  George  Arbuthnot  of  Kinghornie  in  the  Special 
Service  dated  nth  April  that  year — sasine  following  on  the 
26th  August.'  Four  years  later,  in  1760,  John  Arbuthnot 
sold  Kinghornie  to  Mr.  Francis  Garden,  afterwards  Lord 
Gardenstone. 

In  1755,  Lady  Peterborough  died,  leaving  to  her  nephew, 
John  Arbuthnot,  £100,  "  for  mourning."  Probate  of  the 
will  was  granted  to  John  Arbuthnot,  her  sister,  Ehzabeth 
Bowles,  having  renounced. < 

Mr.  Charles  Arbuthnot,  his  second  son,  who  was  afterwards 
British  Ambassador  at  Constantinople,  writes  as  follows  of 
his  father,  whom   he  never  knew  intimately,  being  brought 

'  Burney's  History  of  Music,  1789,  vol.  iv.  p.  248. 
»  P.C.C,  Price,   168. 

3  Extract  from  a  copy  of  the  title-deeds  of  Kinghornie,  lent  by  Mr.  William 
Arbuthnot-Leslie. 

4  P.C.C,  Glazier,  174. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    171 

up  entirely  by  his  mother's  family :  "  My  father,  whose 
Christian  name  was  John,  was  very  young  when  my  grand- 
father died.  The  persons  under  whose  care  my  father  had 
been  placed,  felt  that  the  best  mode  of  disposing  of  him  was 
to  educate  him  for  trade.  This,  from  what  I  have  heard  of 
my  father,  was  a  mistake  ;  as  I  have  understood  that,  having 
very  superior  talents,  he  was  well  calculated  to  succeed  in 
the  army  or  in  one  of  the  learned  professions.  In  trade  he 
failed.  ..." 

A  little  later  he  says  :  "  When  I  was  at  a  private  school 
at  Richmond,  my  father  failed  in  his  trading  speculations 
and  he  went  to  reside  in  France  with  his  whole  family.  .  .  ." 

John  Arbuthnot  was  living  near  Mitcham,  Surrey,  in  1759, 
his  first  wife,  Sally  Margaret  Cecil,  being  buried  at  Morden, 
19th  February  that  year.  She  was  probably  daughter  and 
heiress  of  John  Cecil  of  Ravensbury,  Mitcham,  who  was 
buried  at  Morden  21st  April,  1760,  for  that  property  was 
afterwards  in  the  hands  of  John  Arbuthnot,  whose  second 
wife,  Ursula  Fitzgerald,  is  described  in  the  Morden  burial 
registers  as  "  of  Ravensbury,  Mitcham,"  in  1761.' 

In  1770  we  find  John  Arbuthnot  still  at  Mitcham,  Surrey, 
occupying  himself,  among  other  things,  with  experiments  in 
the  cultivation  of  madder,'  on  which  he  had  some  new  ideas. 
There  are  several  letters  of  his  among  the  correspondence  of 
Mr.  Arthur  Young,  the  well-known  agriculturist,  with  whom 
he  was  on  terms  of  closest  friendship  and  who  took  a  keen 
interest  in  his  experiments.  These  letters  are  of  no  very 
great  interest,  dealing  chiefly  with  farming  technicalities, 
but  they  nevertheless  convey  an  impression  of  indomitable 
energy  and  enthusiasm,  and  are  enlivened  here  and  there 
with  touches  of  humour. 

In  one  letter — undated,  but  probably  written  about  1770 
— he  writes  : 

"  My  madder  this  year  has  almost  made  me  mad,  having 
just  conquered  what  I  thought  (an)  insurmountable  difficulty  ; 
but  courage  to  a  degree  of  wildness,  and  perseverance,  will 

•  See  Genealogist,  vol.  vii.  p.  39.     Registers  of  Morden,  Surrey. 

»  The  Transactions  of  the  Dublin  Society,  1800,  Part  I,  contain  an  essay  by 
John  Arbuthnot  "  On  the  Culture  and  Curing  of  Madder."  He  was  then  no  longer 
living,  having  died  in  1797. 


172  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

do  great  things.  .  .  .  Shall  expect  abuse  about  my  cabbages  ; 
much  too  late,  but  in  short  madder  engrossed  me,  and  all 
must  submit  to  my  darling,"  etc. 

Mr.  Young  had  many  troubles,  financial  and  domestic, 
in  the  years  before  1775,  and,  when  writing  of  them,  he  says  : 
"  The  only  pleasant  moments  that  I  passed  were  in  visits  to 
my  friend  Arbuthnot  at  Mitcham,  whose  agriculture  so  near 
the  capital  brought  good  company  to  his  house.  He  was, 
upon  the  whole,  the  most  agreeable,  pleasant  and  interesting 
connection  which  I  ever  made  in  agricultural  pursuits."  ' 

In  1775  John  Arbuthnot  wrote  to  Young,  rallying  him  on 
not  possessing  the  faculty  of  pushing  his  own  interests  :  "  Was 
you  fit  for  this  good  world,  I  think  you  might  make  a  little  bar- 
gain for  yourself,  but  your  d d  public  spirit  will  ever  make 

you  give  others  what  you  ought  to  keep  for  yourself,"  etc. 

Somewhere  about  this  time  Mr.  Young  relates  that  the 
Empress  Catherine  of  Russia  "  had  sent  over  seven  or  eight 
young  men  to  learn  practical  agriculture,  two  or  three  of 
whom  were  fixed  with  my  friend  Arbuthnot,  and  others  in 
different  parts  of  the  kingdom.  They  were  under  the  superin- 
tendence of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Sambosky,  who  wrote  to  me  at 
Bradfield,  earnestly  requesting  that  I  would  go  to  London 
and  examine  all  the  young  men,  that  he  might  take  or  send 
them  to  St.  Petersburg.  This  I  accordingly  did,  and  examined 
them  very  closely,  except  one,  who  refused  to  answer  any 
questions,  from  a  conviction  of  his  absolute  ignorance.  I 
gave  a  certificate  of  the  others'  examination,  and  I  asked 
Sambosky  what  would  become  of  the  obstinate  fool  who 
would  not  answer.  He  replied  that  without  doubt  he  would 
be  sent  to  Siberia  for  life,  but  I  never  heard  whether  this 
happened.  .  .  .  The  intended  establishment  of  an  Imperial 
farm  never  took  place,  and  after  at  least  an  expenditure  of 
£10,000,  the  men  on  their  arrival  were  turned  loose,  some 
to  starve,  some  driven  into  the  army,  and  others  retained  by 
Russian  noblemen.  In  this  wretched  and  ridiculous  manner 
did  the  whole  scheme  end,  which,  under  a  proper  arrangement 
might  have  been  attended  with  very  important  effects."  ' 

I  Autobiography  of  Arthur  Young,  edited  by  Miss  M.  Betham-Edwards,  1898, 
pp.  66-7.    Smith  Elder  and  Co. 
»  Ibid.,  pp.  124-5. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    173 

John  Arbuthnot  appears  to  have  written  a  pamphlet  on 
various  kinds  of  grasses,  which  seems  to  have  been  very 
indifferently  translated  into  Russian  by  a  M.  Samborski, 
who  appears  not  to  have  been  the  person  mentioned  above, 
but  was,  more  probably,  one  of  the  Russian  students  on  the 
farm  at  Mitcham. 

In  an  undated  letter  John  Arbuthnot  writes  :  "An  inti- 
mate friend  of  mine  scribbled  a  little  treatise  on  grasses,  in 
which  he  treated  Ray  grass  with  some  disdain,  but  as  Sam- 
borski has  just  sent  over  a  large  cargo,  he  very  wisely  converted 
those  aspersions  into  a  panegirick,  to  the  no  small  mortification 
of  the  Author,  who  was  somewhat  anxious  to  examine  it 
before  it  went,  though  in  vain,  he  just  got  a  glimpse  of  one 
page,  where  he  found  an  English  hayloft  metamorphosed 
into  a  Russian  shrubbery.  This  sample  will  certainly  establish 
my  character  with  her  Majesty  as  a  most  ingenious  farmer, 
and  as  she  is  very  desirous  of  having  a  large  tract  laid  out  in 
the  style  of  an  Enghsh  garden,  it  is  not  impossible  but  that 
I  may  be  sent  for  to  plan  and  plant  her  stables  in  Petersburgh. 
I  think  I  could  almost  laugh  to  hear  the  whole  read  again 
into  English.  .  .  . 

"  I  have  made  a  complete  convert  of  Livanow  ;  he  works 
hard,  reads  less,  and  gives  up  all  thoughts  of  the  university, 
at  least  till  he  can  distinguish  a  ploughshare  from  a  college 
Bible.  Samborski  sets  them  a  noble  example  ;  he  has  dis- 
patch'd  the  last  ship  that  can  sail  these  six  months  for  Russia, 
and  dedicates  his  whole  time  to  the  farm.  You  will  beheve 
him  more  assiduous  than  any  of  them,  but  he  is  likewise  by 
much  the  best  plowman,  not  only  the  best,  but  equal  to  three 
fourths  of  a  real  plowman.  It  would  delight  you  to  see  him 
work.  I  am  hard  at  work  to  save  my  distance  for  wheat- 
sowing,  plough'd  23  acres  in  four  days  with  16  horses,  it  broke 
up  like  marble.  If  this  weather  continues  one  month,  the 
farmers  will  be  ruined,"  etc. 

In  1773  John  Arbuthnot  published  An  Inquiry  into  the 
Connection  between  the  Present  Price  of  Provisions  and  the 
Size  of  Farms,  with  Remarks  on  Population  as  affected  thereby, 
etc.  By  a  Farmer.  In  this  book  he  warmly  defends  the 
enclosure  of  common  lands — a  burning  question  of  his  day, 
and  one  of  which  the  pros  and  cons  are  not  settled  yet,  for 


174  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

there  are  those  among  us  who  maintain  that  the  landless 
British  labourer  of  to-day  is,  even  under  the  most  favourable 
circumstances,  economically  worse  off  than  his  predecessor 
under  the  feudal  laws.  John  Arbuthnot  declares  that  the 
crying  need  of  his  day  is  increased  production,  and  that  this 
can  only  be  attained  by  a  scientific  development  of  waste  lands, 
that  greater  efficiency  in  farming  must  in  the  long  run  react 
beneficially  upon  the  whole  population,  and,  by  reducing  the 
cost  of  food,  tend  to  alleviate  the  acute  distress  prevailing 
at  the  time. 

There  are  traces  in  the  Chancery  Proceedings  of  a  legal 
controversy  that  took  place  in  the  year  1778,  between  Admiral 
Marriott  Arbuthnot  and  John  Arbuthnot.  We  read  as 
follows  : ' 

"  Marriott  Arbuthnot  of  Charlotte  Street,  Rathbone  Place, 
Co.  Middlesex,  Esquire,  Complainant.  That  John  Arbuthnot 
of  Ravensbury,  Co.  Surrey,  Esquire  (Defendt),  was  in  July 
1774  possessed  of  several  Leasehold  Lands  and  Premises, 
upon  which  he  requested  the  Complt  to  advance  him  the  sum 
of  ;^5,ooo,  which  the  Complt  agreed  to.  That  the  said  John 
Arbuthnot  now  refuses  to  pay  the  Complt  such  principal 
money  and  Interest  and  insists  that  the  Equity  of  Redemption 
thereof  ought  not  to  be  foreclosed,  but  why  the  said  John 
Arbuthnot  so  insists  and  refuses,  the  Complt  cannot  prevail 
on  him  to  discover."  Among  Mrs.  Arthur  Arbuthnot's  papers 
is  a  letter  which  states  that  Admiral  Marriott  Arbuthnot 
at  one  time  Uved  at  Mitcham,  in  the  house  formerly  occupied 
by  John  Arbuthnot,  and  it  seems  probable  that  the  Admiral 
took  possession  of  the  property  in  lieu  of  the  £5,000  owing 
to  him.  This  will  probably  explain  why,  in  1781,  John 
Arbuthnot  appears  to  have  been  in  low  water,  and  to  have 
been  obliged  to  throw  up  his  farming  enterprises.  Mr.  Young 
speaks  of  having  received  "  a  sad  letter  from  my  friend 
Arbuthnot  on  his  return  from  France,  but  it  was  written  in 
so  melancholy  a  strain  on  his  own  situation  and  that  of  his 
wife  and  family,  that  it  has  often  made  my  heart  ache  to 
read  it."  This  letter,  dated  from  the  Cecil  Street  Coffee 
House  2nd  April,  1781,  is  in  existence.  It  is  a  very  long 
one,  and  many  of  the  allusions  in  it  cannot  now  be  understood. 

•  Chancery  Proceedings,  1 758-1800,  No.  102,  Arbuthnot  t;.  Arbuthnot. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    175 

In  one  passage  he  speaks  of  the  necessity  he  is  under  to 
"  struggle  hard  to  get  abroad  either  to  the  East  or  West, 
for  as  I  must  Hve  absent  from  my  family,  dreadfuU  thought, 
an  hundred  or  ten  thousand  miles  are  the  same  ;  happy  as 
I  was  last  year,  I  am  as  downcast  this,  and  see  nothing  but 
misery  before  my  eyes,  for  Death  would  be  preferable  to 
living  as  I  do,  torn  from  m}^  family  without  having  it  in  my 
power  to  assist  them  sufficiently  to  make  them  live  comfort- 
ably. Indeed,  I  have  the  satisfaction  of  finding  Lord  L. 
my  staunch  friend,  through  his  interest  Jack  got  the  first  year 
he  was  in  India  an  appointment  of  £i,ooo  per  ann.  and  is 
as  happy  as  a  Prince.  If  I  can  get  George  out  next  Spring, 
I  shall  regard  nothing  as  to  myself,  trusting  they  will  assist 
the  girls.  Little  Alex '  turns  out  a  Wonder  of  the  Age,  is  an 
excellent  scholar  and  though  but  turned  of  twelve  years  has 
gone  through  six  books  of  Euclid  ;  he  is  indeed  deservedly 
the  admiration  of  all  the  place,  having  every  accomplishment 
a  Boy  can  have,  manly  beyond  conception.  I  mean  to  finish 
him  in  Germany  and  then  endeavour  to  get  him  into  some 
PubUc  Office,  where  knowledge  of  different  languages  may 
bring  him  forward. 

"  Poor  Mrs.  Arb.'  was  for  many  months  last  year  at  Death's 
door,  I  never  went  through  such  a  scene,  but  thank  God  she 
is  now  better  than  she  has  been  for  years,  the  rest  are  all 
well.  I  was  in  hopes  of  seeing  you  in  Town  this  winter,  but 
must  now  give  it  up,  if  I  Uve  I  will  be  with  you  in  the 
summer.  .  .  ."  ' 

Shortly  after  this  a  welcome  change  took  place  in  John 
Arbuthnot's  affairs.  "  By  Lord  Loughborough's  interest,  he 
got  an  appointment  in  Ireland,  under  the  Linen  Board," 
writes  Young,  "  which  carried  him  to  that  country,  where 
he  lived  but  a  few  years.  I  lost  in  him  by  far  the  most  agree- 
able friend  I  was  ever  acquainted  with."  The  appointment 
was  that  of  Inspector-General  of  the  Provinces  of  Leinster, 
Munster  and  Connaught,  and  carried  with  it  a  salary  of  £500 
per  annum,  dating  from  June,  1782.     A  house  in  Coleraine 

»  Alexander,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Killaloe. 

»  This  refers  to  his  third  wife,  Anne  Stone,  who  died  the  following  year. 
3  John    Arbuthnot's    letters    to  Arthur    Young   are    all    in    the    MS.    Room 
at   the  British   Museum,  Add.  MSS.,  35,  126,  fi.  84,  105,  150,  167,  169,  174,  189. 


176  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

Street,  Dublin,  was  also  made  over  for  his  use  by  the  Linen 
Board. 

All  his  energies  were  now  thrown  into  the  requirements 
of  his  new  post.  His  reports  on  the  condition  of  the  trade 
gave  great  offence  in  Ireland.'  In  1784  he  gave  evidence 
on  the  subject  before  the  House  of  Commons. 

In  1786  he  acquired  from  Sir  Neal  O'Donnell  a  permanent 
lease — involving  practical  ownership — of  Rockfieet,  Carri- 
ghahooly  and  Rosyvera,  near  Newport,  Co.  Mayo,  covenanting 
to  erect  within  fifteen  years  "  a  neat,  good  house  with  lime- 
stone or  other  good  material,  also  good  offices  with  a  farmyard," 
etc.  The  "  neat  house  "  was  the  present  Rosyvera  House, 
standing  on  the  edge  of  the  shore  near  the  old  half-ruined 
Rockfieet  Castle — a  small,  mediaeval  fortress,  once  belonging 
to  the  celebrated  Irish  heroine,  Grace  O'Malley — and  it  is 
now  the  property  of  a  brother  of  Mr.  Vesey  Stoney  of  Rossturk 
Castle,  Co.  Mayo.'  It  was  begun  by  John  Arbuthnot,  but 
left  unfinished  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1797.  In  his  will, 
dated   17th  September  that  year,'  he  devised  all    his  lands 

I  See  Observations  on  the  Linen  Trade  in  Ireland,  by  R.  Stephenson,  1784. 

«  We  have  no  knowledge  as  to  what  reasons  induced  John  Arbuthnot  to 
settle  in  County  Mayo.  There  were  Arbuthnots  living  at  Ivillala,  on  the  other 
side  of  the  county,  about  this  time,  but  as  far  as  is  known  they  were  not  in 
any  way  related.  The  will  of  Richard  Arbuthnot  of  Killala  is  dated  23rd  Sept- 
ember, 1777.  His  brother,  the  Rev.  Nicholas  Arbuthnot,  entered  Trinity  College, 
Dubhn,  in  1738,  and  in  1773  was  appointed  to  the  parish  of  Newtown  Hamilton, 
Co.  Armagh.  He  had  two  sons,  James  {who  married  Judith  Beauchamp  and 
died  before  1781)  and  the  Rev.  Frederick  Arbuthnot,  who  entered  Trinity  College 
in  1778,  and  married  in  1789  Frances  Hamilton  of  Capel  Street,  Dublin.  He  had 
issue  a  daughter,  Phoebe,  who  died  in  1803  and  was  buried  at  Armagh.  There 
were  also,  as  early  as  1725,  Arbuthnots  settled  in  Co.  Down,  for  in  that  year  we 
find  recorded  a  marriage  settlement  between  Charles  Arbuthnot,  second  son  of 
John  Arbuthnot  of  Ballany,  Co.  Down,  and  Arabella  Arnold,  eldest  daughter  of 
John  Arnold  of  Greenan,  Co.  Down.  Years  later,  in  1785,  we  find  a  deed  whereby 
Charles  Arbuthnot  senior  sells  to  Charles  Arbuthnot  junior  the  lands  of  Greenan, 
Co.  Down.  Still  later,  in  1796,  we  find  a  marriage  settlement  between  WilUam 
Arbuthnot,  eldest  son  of  William  Arbuthnot  of  Rockvale,  Co.  Down,  and  Sarah, 
daughter  of  James  McCully  of  Drumbane,  Co.  Down.  From  this  family  it  would 
seem  that  some  of  the  American  Arbuthnots  descend,  for  Mr.  Charles  Criswell 
Arbuthnot  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  informs  me  that  his  grandparents  came  to  America 
from  Co.  Down.  In  connection  with  this,  it  is  of  interest  to  remark  that  among 
the  papers  of  the  late  Mr.  George  Arbuthnot-Leslie  of  Warthill,  who  was  much 
interested  in  genealogy,  there  are  found  some  notes  about  a  Wilham  Arbuthnot 
who  settled  in  Co.  Down  in  1745,  having  eloped  with  an  heiress  of  the  family  of 
Bruce,  from  Aberdeenshire.  My  own  researches  have  thrown  no  light  on  this 
individual,  but  probably  he  was  the  progenitor  of  a  line  of  Arbuthnots  of  County 
Down,  and  afterwards  of  America. 

1  Proved  13th  February,  1798. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  177 

in  Co.  Mayo  to  trustees  "  on  Trust  to  finish  my  house  of 
Rockfleet  and  to  divide  profits  among  my  younger  children, 
the  Revd.  Alexander  Arbuthnot,  Margaret  Vesey,  Harriet 
Corkran,  Frances  Arbuthnot,  Robert  Arbuthnot,  and  Thomas 
Arbuthnot,  in  equal  portions,  the  rest  of  my  children  being 
sufficiently  provided  for."  He  directs  that  if  his  son  George 
shall  desire  to  purchase  the  said  house,  he  shall  have  the 
first  refusal,  and  states  that  "  by  Marriage  Settlement  on 
my  present  wife,  Anne  Arbuthnot,"  she  is  entitled  to  a  rent 
charge  of  £ioo  per  annum." 

John  Arbuthnot  died  at  Rockfleet,  27th  December,  1797, 
and  was  buried  in  Newport  Churchyard.  His  tombstone 
bears  the  following  inscription  : 

Beneath  this  Stone  are  Deposited  the  Remains  of  the  Late 
John  Arbuthnot  Esqre  of  Rockfleet  Castle  in  this  County 

AND   formerly   OF   MiTCHAM    SURREY    IN    ENGLAND 

Died  on  the  27TH  December,   1797, 

IN  the  69TH  Year  of  His  Age 

This  Stone  is  placed  here  by  his  Fourth  Son  Col.  Sir 

Robert  Arbuthnot,  K.C.B.,  of  the 

Coldstream  Guards. 

John  Arbuthnot  was  five  times  married  :  first,  in  1753, 
to  Sally  Margaret  Cecil,  of  the  family  of  John  Cecil  of  Ravens- 
bury,  said  to  have  been  founder  of  the  Ravensbury  printing 
works.  She  died  in  1759,  and  was  buried  at  Morden,  Surrey, 
19th  February,  that  year.  He  married  secondly,  in  1760, 
Ursula  Fitzgerald,  who  died  the  following  year,  leaving  a 
son,  John,  born  1761.  She  was  buried  at  Morden  12th  March, 
1761.  John  Arbuthnot  married  thirdly,  19th  October,  1762, 
Anne,  daughter  of  Richard  Stone  of  Lombard  Street,  a  London 
banker.  To  her  issue  we  shall  return.  She  died  in  November, 
1782,  as  has  been  mentioned.  John  Arbuthnot  married 
fourthly,  in  1788,  Mrs.  Fitzgerald  (nee  Helen  O'Halloran) 
of  the  parish  of  Holy  Trinity,  Cork.  The  date  of  her  death 
is  unknown.  In  1791,  John  Arbuthnot  married  his  fifth  and 
last  wife,  Anne  Ehzabeth,  daughter  of  Bickford  Heard  of 
Cork,  who  survived  him. 

•  This  was  his  fifth  wife,  .\nne  Ehzabeth,  daughter  of  Bickford  Heard  of 
Cork. 

12 


178  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

By  his  second  wife,   Ursula  Fitzgerald,   John  Arbuthnot 
had  issue — 

I.  John,    born    28th    February,    1761,    died    in    India 
unmarried. 

By  his  third  wife,  Anne  Stone,  he  had  issue — 

II.  George,  of  the  Bengal  Civil  Service,  born  24th  July, 
1764,  to  whom  we  shall  return. 

III.  Charles   (Right   Hon.),   born   14th   March,    1767,   of 

whom  presently. 

IV.  Alexander   (Right   Rev.),    Bishop  of   Killaloe,   born 

7th  May,  1768,  of  whom  presently. 
V.  Robert  (General  Sir),  K.C.B.,  born  19th  November, 
1773.  of  whom  presently.  (This  Sir  Robert, 
.though  described  on  his  father's  tombstone  as 
"  fourth "  son,  was  actually  the  fifth,  though 
fourth  by  the  third  marriage.) 
VI.  Thomas  (General  Sir),  K.C.B.,  born  nth  September, 
1776,  was  in  the  71st  Highlanders.  He  served 
through  the  Peninsular  War  and  was  A.D.C.  to 
King  George  III  in  1814.  He  died  unmarried, 
26th  January,  1849.  His  career  is  described  at 
length  in  the  Dictionary  of  National  Biography, 
the  article  being  written  by  his  nephew.  Sir  Alex- 
ander John  Arbuthnot.  Among  the  papers  of 
his  brother,  the  Right  Hon.  Charles  Arbuthnot, 
the  following  note  has  been  found  :  "  The  expiring 
words  of  my  Brother  Sir  Tho'  Arbuthnot :  He 
desired  to  have  a  clergyman.  The  Dean  attended 
immediately,  and  offered  up  a  prayer.  He  said 
firmly  that  he  hoped  the  prayer  had  been  recited  by 
all  present,  as  it  ought  to  be.  For  himself,  he  was 
then  ready,  as  he  always  had  been,  to  leave  the 
world — that  he  always  intended  to  do  right- 
that  he  had  never  deceived  nor  injured  any  man, 
nor  acted  from  private  motives,  and  that  he 
trusted  to  be  accepted  by  his  Creator." 
I.  Anne,  born  in  1763,  married  in  1784  Richard  Holmes 
of  Prospect,  King's  County,  and  died  in  1802, 
leaving  issue. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    179 

II.  Sarah,    born    in     1765,    married    in    1784   Thomas 
Langley,  merchant,  of  London,  and  died  in  1852. 

III.  Margaret,    born   in    1769,   married   in    1796   George 

Vesey   of   Dubhn,    barrister-at-law,    and   died   in 

1853. 

IV.  Harriet,  born  1770,  married  in  1797,  as  his  second 

wife,    Lewis    Corkran    of    the    Bombay    Council, 
and  had  issue. 
V.  Frances,  born  1773,  married,  4th  July,  1799,  as  his 
first  wife,  Augustus  Smith  of  Ashlyns  Hall,  Herts, 
and  died  30th  April,  1811. 

George  Arbuthnot,  eldest  son  of  John  Arbuthnot  of  Rock- 
fleet  by  his  third  marriage,  was  born  24th  July,  1764.  He 
entered  the  service  of  the  East  India  Company,  obtaining  a 
writership  in  October,  1781.  In  1793  he  became  Collector, 
and  in  1795  Judge  and  Magistrate  at  Tirhoot.  In  1803  he 
was  Judge  and  Magistrate  at  Benares,  but  resigned  his  posts 
in  1804-5.  He  died  on  board  the  Lady  Jane  Dundas,  East 
Indiaman,  on  his  way  home  from  India,  5th  September,  1805. 
He  married,  20th  January,  1796,  Elizabeth  Millicent,'  fourth 
daughter  of  Major-General  Horton  Brisco,  E.I.C.S.,  brother 
of  Sir  John  Brisco,  first  Baronet,  of  Crofton,  Cumberland.' 

'  A  portrait  of  this  lady,  by  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence,  is  in  the  possession  of 
Mr.  Cecil  Lister-Kaye  of  Denby  Grange,  Yorkshire,  as  well  as  the  beautiful 
miniature,  believed  to  be  by  Andrew  Phmer,  which  has  been  reproduced  at  p.  178 
of  this  volume. 

»  Major-General  Horton  Brisco  was  twice  married.  By  his  first  wife,  Maria 
Howett,  whom  he  married  in  Calcutta,  4th  February,  1 769,  he  had  twin  daughters, 
(i)  Annabella  {died  in  infancy)  and  (2)  Elizabeth,  died  later,  unmarried.  By  his 
second  wife,  IMiUicent  Jane  Banks,  whom  he  married  28th  July,  1774,  he  had 
issue  :  (i)  Horton  Coote  (Lieutenant-Colonel),  born  1780,  married  in  the  parish 
of  St.  Marylebone,  London,  23rd  September,  1815,  Susanna  Schofeild,  and  died 
at  St.  Germain-en-Laye,  31st  December,  1824,  leaving  issue  one  daughter,  Maria, 
of  whose  fate  nothing  is  known  ;  (3)  Maria,  born  6th  November,  1776,  married  in 
1795  James  Barton  of  Penwortham  Hall,  Lancaster,  and  had  one  only  daughter, 
Marion  Millicent,  who  died  unmarried  ;  and  (4)  Elizabeth  Millicent,  born  22nd 
April,   1778,  married  George  Arbuthnot. 

Some  of  the  old  silver  at  Denby  Grange  has  engraved  upon  it  the  Arbuthnot 
arms,  impaling  those  of  Brisco  and  Hylton.  The  Briscos  of  Crofton  are  an  old 
Cumbrian  family,  and  represent  the  still  more  ancient  and  extinct  family  of 
Hylton  of  Hylton.  Catherine  Hylton,  grandmother  of  Mrs.  George  Arbuthnot, 
and  wife  of  the  Rev.  John  Brisco,  D.D.,  of  Crofton,  was  daughter  and  co-heiress 
of  John  Hylton,  Baron  of  Hylton,  and  through  her  and  one  of  her  sisters  the 
representation  of  that  family  is  divided  between  the  present  Lord  Hylton  and 
Sir  Hylton  Ralph  Brisco,  Bart.,  of  Crofton.     Though  co-heiress  of  her  fatheii 


180  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

Mrs.  Arbuthnot  died  2nd  December,  1831,  having  survived 
her  husband  twenty-six  years.     By  her  he  had  issue — 

I.  Marion,    born    i8th    July,    1797,    at    Secunderpore, 

died  young. 
II.  Matilda,  only  surviving  daughter  and  heiress,'  born 
at  Benares,  21st  October,  1803.  She  married 
(21st  October,  1824)  Sir  John  Lister-Kaye,  second 
Baronet  of  Denby  Grange,  Yorkshire,  and  had, 
with  other  issue,  a  son.  Lister,  who  married  in 
1852  Lady  CaroHne  Pepys,  third  daughter  of 
Charles,  first  Earl  of  Cottenham,  and  died  in 
1855,  having  had  by  her  two  sons — (i)  John,  the 
present  (third)  Baronet,  who  succeeded  his  grand- 
father in  1871 ;  and  (2)  Cecil  Edmund,  now  of 
Denby  Grange,  Yorkshire.  Through  the  marriage 
of  Matilda  Arbuthnot,  the  Lister-Kayes  descend- 
ing from  her  have  the  right  to  quarter  the 
Arbuthnot  arms,  which,  in  default  of  a  male 
heir  to  her  father,  pass  to  them.* 

Lady  Lister-Kaye  was  a  woman  of  character  and  talent. 
During  the  many  years  that  she  lived  at  Denby  Grange,  the 
old  Yorkshire  home  of  Sir  John's  family,  she  devoted  a  great 

Catherine  Hylton  was  not  co-heiress  of  the  ancient  Barony  of  Hylton,  created 
in  1295  by  Writ  of  Summons  to  Robert  de  Hilton  of  Hilton  Castle,  and,  in  a  later 
generation,  to  Alexander  de  Hilton,  who  had  summons  to  Parliament  as  a  Baron 
in  1332  and  1335.  The  Barony,  as  is  usual  in  the  case  of  Baronies  by  Writ,  was 
heritable  by  heirs-general,  but  in  each  case  lasted  only  a  single  generation,  falling 
into  abeyance  among  the  daughters  of  the  two  Barons  thus  summoned.  This, 
at  least,  is  the  account  of  the  matter  given  in  Burke's  Dormant,  Abeyant,  Forfeited 
and  Extinct  Peerages  of  the  British  Empire,  and  it  would  therefore  appear  that 
Robert  Surtees,  in  his  History  of  the  County  Palatine  of  Durham,  pubhshed  in  18 16- 
1840,  was  incorrect  in  suggesting  that  the  Barony  of  Hylton  was  then  in  abeyance 
between  the  families  of  Brisco  and  Jolhffe.  The  Hyltons  of  Hylton  bore,  during 
many  generations,  the  provincial  title  of  "  Baron,"  but  this,  it  appears,  was  ac- 
corded to  the  family  by  the  courtesy  of  the  neighbourhood,  and  arose  from  their 
position  as  "  Barons  of  the  Bishopric  " — a  designation  that  did  not  imply  the 
possession  of  an  hereditary  peerage.  On  19th  July,  1866,  Sir  William  George 
Hylton  Jolhffe,  Bart.,  M.P.,  was  raised  to  the  peerage  as  Baron  Hylton,  as  "  heir 
representative  of  the  Barons  Hylton  of  Hylton  Castle."  From  him  descends 
the  present  peer,  representing  the  line  of  Catherine  Hylton 's  elder  sister,  Anne. 

I  Although  it  has  sometimes  been  stated  that  Mr.  George  Arbuthnot  had 
also  a  son,  it  is  the  fact  that  the  above  two  daughters  were  his  only  legitimate 
issue. 

»  It  does  not  appear,  however,  that  the  present  Baronet  exercises  this  right, 
quartering  only,  according  to  Burke,  the  arms  of  Lister  and  Kaye. 


Lady  Lisl 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    181 

deal  of  her  time  to  the  care  of  her  husband's  tenantry,  in 
whose  welfare  she  was  deeply  interested.  Being  herself 
exceptionally  well  read,  she  took  a  great  interest  in  providing 
educational  facihties  for  her  poorer  neighbours.  She  was, 
besides,  a  writer,  and  published  in  1840  a  small  volume  in 
defence  of  the  doctrines  of  the  Church  of  England,  in  which 
she  displays  an  amount  of  learning  quite  unusual  among  the 
educated  women  of  her  day,  quoting  easily  decisions  of  the 
Council  of  Trent,  and  precepts  of  TertuUian,  Origen,  and 
others  among  the  Fathers.  In  1849  she  pubhshed  a  novel 
in  two  parts,  called  British  Homes  and  Foreign  Wanderings, 
into  which  she  wove  a  good  deal  of  pleasant  local  colour  from 
experiences  in  her  own  travels. 

Lady  Lister-Kaye  died  in  London,  4th  April,  1867,  and 
was  buried  in  Brompton  Cemetery.  She  had  in  all  fourteen 
children,  only  six  of  whom  survived  her.  She  predeceased  her 
husband,  who  died  13th  April,  1871,  having  married  secondly, 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  John  Bower  of  Barnston,  York. 

We  now  take  up  the  line  of  the  Right  Hon.  Charles 
Arbuthnot,  third  son  of  John  Arbuthnot  of  Rockfleet,  whose 
interesting  career  can,  of  course,  be  only  lightly  touched  on 
here,  though  he  is  well  deserving  of  a  detailed  biography, 
having  been  in  touch  with  all  the  leading  persons  of  his  day, 
both  in  his  own  and  foreign  countries,  and  having  on  one 
occasion  been  in  a  position  where  the  eyes  of  all  Europe  were 
turned  upon  him  in  anxious  interrogation.  Suddenly  involved 
in  an  unprecedented  emergency,  Mr.  Arbuthnot  has  often 
been  accused  of  lack  of  address  and  firmness  in  dealing  with 
the  starthng  situation  which  developed  so  suddenly  in  1806, 
during  his  embassy  at  Constantinople.  We  shall  deal  in 
great  detail  with  that  incident,  and  hope  to  show  some  of 
the  difficulties  that  beset  him  at  that  time.  A  short  auto- 
biography in  his  hand,  addressed  to  his  children  and  written 
on  thirteen  sheets  of  note-paper,  is  in  existence,  and  was 
kindly  lent  me  for  the  purpose  of  this  book  by  Mrs.  Arthur 
Arbuthnot,  widow  of  his  grandson,  and  this  document  has 
been  of  the  greatest  assistance  in  compiling  the  following 
account  of  his  hfe. 

Charles  Arbuthnot  was  born  14th  March,  1767.  As  has 
been  mentioned,  he  was  taken  when  very  young  from  his 


182  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

parents,  who  were,  perhaps,  only  too  thankful — with  their 
large  family  and  fluctuating  fortunes — to  transfer  the  burden 
of  his  education  and  launching  on  a  career  to  his  mother's 
relations,  who  took  entire  charge  of  him.  These  were  the 
Stones,  a  wealthy  banking  family,  two  of  whose  members  had 
risen  to  distinguished  positions  in  pubhc  Ufe — one,  George 
Stone,  being  Primate  of  Ireland,  and  the  other,  Andrew, 
having  had  a  successful  political  career.  He  had  been  Under- 
Secretary  of  State  in  the  Duke  of  Newcastle's  Government 
in  1734,  had  acted  as  private  secretary  to  George  II  in  1748, 
and,  on  the  death  of  Frederick  Prince  of  Wales,  had  been 
installed  as  tutor  to  the  young  heir  to  the  throne,  after- 
wards George  III,  who  always  retained  a  great  affection  for 
him.  It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  the  Stones  were  in  a 
position  to  be  useful  to  their  young  relative,  who  always, 
very  modestly,  attributed  his  advancement  in  life  to  their 
interest. 

His  parents  were  little  more  than  names  to  him.  From 
a  letter  written  by  his  eldest  son  many  years  later,  it  appears 
that  Charles  Arbuthnot  stated  that  he  could  not  remember 
ever  having  received  a  letter  from  his  mother.' 

He  was  in  the  first  instance  sent  to  his  great-uncle,  Mr. 
Andrew  Stone,  on  account  of  bad  health.  After  he  had 
recovered,  it  was  intended  that  he  should  return  to  his 
parents. 

"  The  carriage  was  brought  to  the  door,"  he  writes,  "  to 
take  me  back  to  my  father's. 

"  Whether  it  was  that  I  had  been  treated  at  my  uncle's 
with  great  kindness  and  indulgence,  or  from  what  other  cause, 
certain  it  is  that  I  cried  most  violently  when  I  had  to  get 
into  the  carriage.  Seeing  me  so  unhappy  at  the  thought 
of  going  away,  it  was  resolved  that  I  should  remain  with  my 
uncle  ;  and  I  did  remain  with  him  till  his  death  and  with 
his  wife  afterwards,  till  her  death. 

"  My  uncle  died  when  I  was  seven  years  old.  I  then  went 
to  a  private  school  at  Richmond.  At  that  school  I  stayed 
till  I  was  twelve  3/ears  old  ;  and  then  I  was  sent  to  West- 
minster, and  was  placed  in  the  fourth  form.     When  I  was 

1  He  was  about  fifteen  at  the  time  of  lier  death. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    183 

fifteen  my  aunt  died.  Her  picture  is  over  the  fireplace  in 
my  sitting-room.' 

"...  After  her  death  I  continued  with  her  maiden 
sister,  whose  name  was  Mau villain,  originally  a  French  family. 
There  was  also  living  with  her  Mrs.  Sarah  Stone,  a  sister  of 
my  mother. 

"  I  ought  here  to  mention  that  my  great-uncle,  Mr.  Andrew 
Stone,  left  me  at  his  death  £3,000,  and  with  a  request  to 
his  widow  to  leave  more  to  me  at  her  death,  and  she  did 
leave  me  £20,000,  which  I  was  to  receive  at  her  sister's 
death. 

"  I  cannot  pass  over  the  very  great  kindness  and  affection 
with  which,  to  the  day  of  his  death,  my  great-uncle  ever 
treated  me  ;  and  with  regard  to  his  widow,  my  great-aunt, 
I  may  truly  say  that  throughout  my  whole  life  up  to  this  day 
I  have  continued  to  have  her  in  my  mind  with  unceasing  love 
and  affection.  She  was,  indeed,  the  very  kindest  of  mothers 
to  me. 

"  I  remained  at  Westminster  till  I  was  past  seventeen, 
and  then  I  went  to  Christchurch,  Oxford." 

After  mentioning  his  father's  failure  in  business,  he 
continues  :  "  The  consequence  was  that  I  never  saw  my  mother 
again,  for  she  died  abroad,  nor  did  I  see  my  Brothers  and 
Sisters  till  they  were  some  of  them  grown  up  and  till  they 
came  to  England  on  their  way  to  Ireland  ;  where  my  father 
was  appointed  Inspector  General  of  the  Linen  Trade  of  that 
country.  So  that  I  never  saw  my  mother  after  I  was  a  child  ; 
my  father  I  only  saw  now  and  then,  when  he  came  alone 
for  a  short  time  (a  few  days)  to  England,  and  my  brothers 
and  sisters  I  never  saw  till  some  of  them  were  grown  up. 

"  I  have  said  that  at  seventeen  I  went  to  Oxford.  I 
believe  I  was  a  pretty  good  scholar  when  I  left  Westminster, 
at  least  I  remember  being  told  by  the  Dean  that  the  tutor  said 
I  handled  my  Greek  well.  But  alas,  and  I  say  it  with  sorrow 
and  shame,  while  I  was  at  Oxford,  and  I  remained  there  four 
years,  I  passed  my  whole  time  in  idleness  and  amusements.  I 
lived  there  with  a  most  agreeable  set ;  but  unfortunately  it 
was  not  the  turn  of  those  with  whom  I  associated  to  read  and 

■  Mr.  Arbuthnot  wrote  this  account  of  his  life  at  Woodford,  Northampton- 
shire, in   1849,  the  j'ear  before  his  death. 


184  MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

study.  It  was  intended  that  I  should  be  a  lawyer.  But  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one,  I  went  with  the  late  Duke  of  Dorset, 
and  with  Mr.  Tempest,  a  mutual  friend  at  Ch.  Ch.,  to  the 
continent,  and  passed  some  months  at  Vienna.  These  months 
were  agreeably  passed  and  in  the  best  society  ;  but  I  did 
not  return  to  England  better  disposed  to  the  severe  labour 
of  the  Law." 

In  1789  Mr.  Arbuthnot  was  in  Poland,  "  passing  my  time 
most  pleasantly  in  all  the  best  of  the  society,  and  particularly 
living  a  great  deal  with  Stanislaus,  the  last  of  the  Kings  of 
Poland. 

"  On  my  return  to  England  I  gave  up  all  thought  of  study- 
ing the  Law.  I  became  intimately  acquainted  with  men 
and  women  of  the  highest  talent  and  rank,  and  whose  society 
was  delightful.  In  this  manner  I  continued  till  I  was  between 
twenty-five  and  twenty-six  years  of  age.  I  had  often  mis- 
givings in  my  own  mind  and  was  dissatisfied  with  the  idle 
life  that  I  was  passing. 

"  The  war  against  France  broke  out  in  1793.  I  was  then 
too  old  to  think  of  studying  the  Law,  but  I  was  miserable  at 
the  thought  of  wearing  life  away  in  a  state  of  perfect  idleness. 
Therefore,  when  Lord  Paget  (now  Marquis  of  Anglesey)  got 
permission  to  raise  a  Regiment,  the  28th  of  the  line,  I  desired 
to  have  a  commission  in  it ;  and  accordingly  I  entered  as 
Ensign.  But  my  friends  thought  that  at  my  age  this 
step  of  mine  was  a  bad  one,  and  one  friend,  Mr.  John  King, 
being  very  intimate  with  Lord  Grenville,  then  Secretary  of 
State  for  Foreign  Affairs,  spoke  to  him  and  asked  whether 
he  could  not  give  me  some  appointment.  Lord  Grenville 
said  that  the  war  had  added  so  much  to  the  business  of  the 
Office  that  he  had  intended  to  appoint  a  Precis  Writer,  and 
that  he  would  give  me  the  situation  if  I  liked  to  have  it.  The 
salary,  he  said,  would  be  small,  being  £300  a  year  ;  but  that 
the  business  to  be  performed  would  give  me  a  great  fund 
of  information  ;   and  would  render  me  fit  for  higher  situations. 

"  I  accepted  the  offer  with  great  joy.  I  gave  up  all 
thought  of  the  Army.  I  continued  Precis  Writer  till  1795  ; ' 
and  I  then  went  as  Charge  des  Affaires  to  Stockholm — was 

«  In  1795  Mr.  Arbuthnot  was  for  a  time  member  for  East  Looe. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    185 

there  till  1797,  and  then  came  home  on  leave.  Till  1798  I 
was  in  London,  unemployed,  but  then  I  was  sent  to  Stuttgart 
to  compUment  the  Grand  Duke  of  Wurtemberg,  who  had 
recently  married  a  daughter  of  our  King  George  the  3rd, 
and  who  had  just  come  to  the  Government  of  the  Duchy  on 
the  death  of  his  father.  .  .  . 

"  I  returned  to  England  in  1798  ;  and  in  the  following 
year  I  was  married  to  your  blessed  Mother.'  Although  I 
lost  her  after  seven  years  of  the  most  perfect  happiness, 
time  has  not  had  the  effect  of  reconciling  me  to  her  loss. 
To  me  it  was  dreadful.  To  you  all  it  has  been  a  misfortune 
beyond  what  I  could  make  known  to  you.  A  more  perfect 
creature  never  breathed.  One  more  fond  of  her  children  this 
world  never  saw.     But  on  this  subject  I  will  say  no  more." 

After  a  short  time  in  Portugal,  as  Charge  d' Affaires,  Mr. 
Arbuthnot  came  back  to  England,  his  eldest  son  being  born 
on  board  ship  on  the  way  home,  in  1801.  He  was  next  {19th 
May,  1802)  appointed  Envoy  Extraordinary  to  the  Court 
of  Sweden,  remaining  there  till  1803,  and  on  5th  June,  1804, 
he  was  appointed  "  His  Majesty's  Ambassador  Extraordinary 
and  Plenipotentiary  to  the  Sublime  Porte." 

Mr.  Arbuthnot  now  proceeded  to  Constantinople  with 
his  family,  in  order  to  take  up  his  duties  there.  Among  the 
papers  in  Mrs.  Arthur  Arbuthnot's  possession  is  a  letter  written 
at  this  time  by  the  Hon.  Mrs.  Clapcott-Lisle  to  her  daughter 
at  Constantinople.  Mrs.  Lisle  was  then,  and  had  been  since 
1795,  lady-in-waiting  to  the  Princess  of  Wales — the  unfor- 
tunate Caroline  of  Brunswick.  Portions  of  this  letter,  which 
is  dated  from  Catherington,  19th  August,  1805,  give  an  idea 
of  the  Princess's  odd  manner  of  hfe  at  this  time.  Mrs 
Lisle  writes  : 

"  I  continue,  as  you  will  believe,  my  very  dear  Marcia, 
truly  impatient  for  the  Happiness  of  a  letter  from  you.     We 

»  "  At  Cholmondeley  House,  Piccadilly,  Charles  Arbuthnot,  Esq.,  to  Miss 
Lisle,  daughter  of  the  Hon.  Mrs.  Lisle  and  niece  to  Lord  Cholmondeley." — Gentle- 
man's Magazine,  23rd  February,  1799.  The  beautiful  Marcia  Lisle,  so  well  known 
from  the  exquisite  portrait  by  Hoppner,  which  has  been  twice  engraved,  was 
heiress  to  the  estate  of  Upway,  Dorsetshire,  sold  some  3'ears  after  her  death  by 
her  husband.  The  original  portrait  is  now  {1920)  in  the  possession  of  Mr. 
Wyndham  Darner  Clark  of  Tal-y-garn,  Glamorganshire. 


186  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

arrived  here  on  Wednesday  at  six  o'clock,  performing  sixty- 
two  miles  in  less  than  seven  hours,  which  seems  scarcely 
credible  to  those  who  do  not  know  the  very  incautious  rate 
at  which  H.R.H.  ever  chuses  to  be  driven.  We  lead  a  most 
fatiguing  life,  we  were  out  yesterday  for  eight  hours,  the  time 
of  church  was  included  and  also  for  eating,  but  the  rest  was 
spent  in  the  carriage.  We  have  already  broken  a  spring, 
and  I  suppose  shall  soon  break  another  ...  I  wish  I  was 
twenty  years  younger,  to  enjoy  this  life,  which,  as  it  is,  fags 
me  very  much.  The  Cholmondeleys  are,  I  believe,  on  their 
way  to  Cheltenham.  I  have  had  a  letter  from  Malpas,  who 
had  been  ill,  but  is  now  better.  .  .  .  Perhaps  you  would 
like  to  know  what  sort  of  a  place  this  is  ;  it's  a  very  comfort- 
able Gentleman's  House,  but  very  retired.  However,  we  are 
seldom  in  it.  Mr.  Hood  is  fortunately  in  the  Neighbourhood, 
for,  as  the  Princess  has  not  any  male  attendant,  'tis  fortunate 
there  should  be  a  Gentleman  who  will  take  the  trouble  of 
attending  our  flying  excursions.  .  .  .  Assure  Arbuthnot  and 
your  children  of  my  warmest  affections,  accept  the  same 
yourself,  with  every  sentiment  of  tenderness  and  attachment 
from  your  very  affectionate  Mother,  ,,  tt    Tyc^p  ", 

Little  can  Mr.  Arbuthnot  have  foreseen  at  this  time  the 
thrilling  events  in  which  he  was  soon  to  play  a  leading  part, 
and  on  which  the  attention  of  Europe  was  to  be  focussed. 
He  was  to  be  called  upon  to  try  his  strength  single-handed 
against  the  resourceful  diplomacy  of  Napoleon,  and  if  we 
have  to  record  a  failure,  that  failure  may  with  some  reason 
be  laid  at  the  door  of  those  who  sent  him  instructions  to  take 
up  a  threatening  attitude,  without  affording  him,  in  time,  the 
material  support  without  which  mere  words  were  powerless. 

I  The  following  year  it  was  Mrs.  Lisle's  fate  to  be  obliged  to  give  evidence 
at  the  "  Delicate  Investigation  "  ordered  by  the  King  into  the  Princess  of  Wales' 
conduct.  Although  the  Princess  was  found  guilty  of  nothing  more  than  extreme 
indiscretion,  Mrs.  Lisle,  on  being  examined,  was  forced  to  confess  that  Her  Rojal 
Highness  had  behaved  to  a  certain  Captain  Manby  "  as  any  woman  would  who 
likes  flirting."  Mrs.  Lisle  also  admitted  that  "  she  would  not  have  thought  any 
married  woman  would  have  behaved  properly  who  should  have  behaved  as  her 
Royal  Highness  did  to  Captain  Manby."  Coming  from  a  witness  of  unimpeachable 
character,  these  admissions  were  naturally  felt  to  be  very  damaging  to  the  Princess, 
and  the  Report  of  the  Commissioners  took  special  notice  of  them,  while  agreeing 
in  a  general  exoneration  from  the  more  serious  charges. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    187 

In  order  to  give  an  intelligible  account  of  his  negotiations 
and  their  sequel,  we  must  take  a  brief  glance  at  European 
politics  of  that  day. 

In  1806,  when  Charles  Arbuthnot  and  his  beautiful  young 
wife  found  themselves  established  at  the  Embassy  in  Constan- 
tinople, all  Europe  was  in  the  throes  of  the  Napoleonic  Wars. 
In  every  capital,  the  policy  of  England  was,  before  all  else, 
to  oppose  and  thwart  the  far-reaching  schemes  of  Napoleon. 
Only  a  few  years  previously  France  had  seized  Egypt  from 
Turkey,  but  the  Enghsh  victories  of  the  Nile  and  St.  John 
d'Acre  had  rendered  it  untenable,  and  it  had  accordingly 
been  evacuated,  while,  owing  to  naval  supremacy,  English 
influence  in  the  Mediterranean  became  an  established  and 
dominating  factor.  In  expeUing  the  French  we  had  acted 
as  the  Allies  of  Turkey,  but  it  was  not  unnatural  that  the 
Porte — hitherto  hostile  to  France — should  shift  the  base  of 
its  policy  and  begin  to  look  with  fear  and  suspicion  on  the 
power  whose  victorious  fleets  swept  the  seas  in  such  close 
proximity  to  its  own  waters.  The  genius  of  Napoleon,  who 
lost  sight  of  nothing,  discerned  a  common  interest  between 
France  and  Turkey  in  the  jealousy  of  England  and  the  distrust 
of  Russia  shared  by  both  nations,  and  although  Turkey  was 
at  the  moment  in  nominal  alliance  with  Russia  and  England, 
and  consequently  in  the  camp  opposed  to  France,  an  unex- 
pected but  soon  very  noticeable  rapprochement  began  to  spring 
up  between  Napoleon  and  the  Porte. 

About  the  time  that  Charles  Arbuthnot  was  appointed  to 
Constantinople,  Napoleon  chose  as  his  envoy  to  that  capital 
General  Sebastiani,  a  man  of  courage,  resource,  and  great 
astuteness,  who  took  up  his  post  with  explicit  instructions 
to  cultivate  a  good  understanding  with  Turkey  and  to  keep 
a  watchful  eye  on  the  projects  of  Russia  and  England  in 
those  parts. 

It  was  our  misfortune  to  be  obliged  to  oppose  ourselves 
to  Turkey  at  a  moment  in  her  history  when  she  was  under 
the  rule  of  perhaps  the  most  enlightened  sovereign  she  has 
ever  known.  Selim  III  had  succeeded  his  uncle,  Abdul 
Hamid,  in  1789.  He  was  filled  with  a  noble  love  of  his  country, 
a  desire  to  initiate  reforms  and  to  bring  Turkey  into  line 
with  the  other  European  Powers,  but  the  wars  with  Russia, 


188  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

Austria,  and  France  left  him  very  little  time  for  his  beneficent 
schemes.  He  loved  and  pitied  his  people,  and  before  his 
accession  had  read  and  studied  much.  He  often  acted  as 
Haroun  Al  Raschid  centuries  before  in  Bagdad,  and  wandered 
in  disguise  through  his  capital  at  night,  listening  to  casual 
conversations  and  trying  to  make  himself  acquainted  with 
the  needs  and  grievances  of  all  classes  of  his  subjects.  It  is 
to  be  regretted  that  Mr.  Arbuthnot  has  left  us  no  notes  regard- 
ing the  personaUty  of  Selim  III.  As  England's  Ambassador, 
policy  necessitated  his  being  thrown  into  antagonism  with 
the  Turkish  ruler,  and  it  cannot,  of  course,  be  pretended  that 
Selim  was  free  from  the  cruelties  and  prejudices  of  an  oriental 
despot.  The  constant  menace  of  foreign  invasion  and  internal 
revolution  unnerved  and  bewildered  Sehm,  leading  him 
sometimes  into  headstrong  and  despotic  action.  But  he  was 
made  for  better  things,  and  certainly  had  a  real  wish  to  benefit 
his  unhappy  countrj^  Almost  alone  among  the  Sultans,  he 
seems  to  have  aimed  at  a  higher  ideal  than  mere  despotism. 
When  he  fell  at  last,  deposed  by  the  janissaries  and  after- 
wards murdered  on  the  eve  of  his  rescue — he  accepted  his 
fate  with  the  dignity  of  a  noble  soul,  and  spent  the  brief 
interval  between  his  imprisonment  and  death  in  calmly 
discussing  with  his  young  relative,  Mahmoud,  afterwards 
Sultan,  the  principles  of  government  and  his  own  misfortunes 
and  mistakes,  none  of  which  was  ever  forgotten  by  Mahmoud, 
who,  many  years  later,  succeeded  in  putting  an  end  to  the 
power  of  the  janissaries  for  ever. 

To  return  to  Mr.  Arbuthnot.  On  24th  May,  1806,  he 
had  the  anguish  of  losing  his  young  wife,  and  found  himself 
left  with  the  care  of  four  small  children  at  a  moment  when 
public  events  urgently  called  for  his  whole  attention.' 

On  this  sad  occasion  Mrs.  Lisle  wrote  as  follows  to  her 
son-in-law,  her  letter  being  dated  from  East  Moulsey,  2nd 
July,  1806  : 

I  "  30th  June,  1S06.  At  Constantinople,  in  child-bed,  the  lady  of  Mr. 
Arbuthnot,  the  British  Minister  at  that  Court." — Gentleman's  Magazine,  1806. 
This  tragedy  is  referred  to  by  Baron  Prevost  in  the  Revue  Contemporaine  for  1854, 
where  he  writes  as  follows  :  "  Le  minisire  d'Avgleterre,  M.  Arbuthnot,  avail  plus 
d' honorabilite  que  d'energie.  Alors  en  proie  d  iin  violent  chagrin  domestique  par  la 
perte  d'une  femme  digne  de  tous  ses  regrets,  il  quilta,  six  mois  plus  tard,  les  affaires 
pour  ne  plus  les  reprendre,"  etc. 


J  "^ 
<  J 


THE   ARBUTHNOTS    OF   ABERDEENSHIRE    189 

"  My  Dear  Son, 

"  Under  this  our  most  severe  privation,  I  trust  it 
may  be  some  relief  to  your  afiflicted  mind,  to  know  that  it 
has  pleased  the  Almighty  to  grant  me  an  humble  submission 
to  his  correction,  with  fortitude  enough  to  hope  I  may  be  of 
assistance  to  you  in  the  care  of  your  infant  family,  being 
supported  by  the  idea  that  in  contributing  every  aid  and 
exertion  in  my  power  to  them  and  you,  I  should  best  fulfil 
the  will  of  our  ever-to-be-lamented  Angel.  I  am  waiting  with 
watchful  anxiety  for  intelligence  of  the  health  of  you  and 
the  dear  children,  and  when  I  trust  I  may  have  the  comfort 
to  find  you  have  anticipated  the  sincerity  of  my  expressions 
by  informing  me  what  are  your  intentions,  if  I  [sic]  wish  I 
should  go  to  you  and  bring  any  of  your  children  to  England, 
or  if  you  are  returning  I  can  but  repeat  that  I  am  ready  to 
be  of  any  use  in  my  power.  I  have  written  to  you  by  the 
post,  of  which  this  is  nearly  a  copy.  My  head  is  too  confused 
to  add  more  than  that  I  remain  your 

"  Affectionate  mother, 

"  H.  Lisle." 

We  must  now,  once  more,  take  up  the  thread  of  public 
events. 

On  the  arrival  of  General  Sebastiani  in  August,  1806, 
Selim  received  him  with  every  demonstration  of  joy. 
Austerlitz  had  stupefied  Europe  the  year  before,  and 
Selim,  much  perplexed  to  choose  between  the  not  alto- 
gether disinterested  offers  of  friendship  of  the  various 
Powers,  had  now  definitely  decided  on  an  alliance  with 
France. 

Sebastiani  was  received  with  exaggerated  honours.  He 
was  allowed  the  unusual  favour  of  presenting  himself  in  arms 
before  the  Sultan,  was  presented  with  some  magnificent  horses 
by  the  Grand  Vizier  and  the  Reis  Effendi,  while  a  country 
house  was  placed  at  his  disposal  for  the  summer  months — 
all  which  favours  were  quite  unprecedented.  A  more  dis- 
quieting move  on  the  part  of  the  Porte  was  the  sudden  dismissal 
of  the  hospodars  (or  governors)  of  Moldavia  and  Wallachia, 
who  had,  in  1802,  been  guaranteed  in  their  offices  for  seven 
years  by  treaty  with  Russia,  and  who  were  with  some  reason 


190  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

believed  to  be  in  Russian  pay  and  acting  as  Russian  agents 
in  those  regions. 

This  precipitate  action  had  immediate  and  serious  results. 
The  Russian  Ambassador  at  Constantinople,  M.  Italinski, 
protested  vigorously,  supported  by  Mr.  Arbuthnot,  acting  in 
the  interests  of  England.  The  latter  wrote  to  Mr.  Fox  from 
Buyukdere,  25th  August,  1806,  and,  after  commenting  on 
"  the  disrespect  with  which  Russia  has  been  treated,"  went 
on  to  say  :  "  As  no  accusation  whatever  has  been  brought 
against  either  of  the  Hospodars  who  are  now  removed,  there 
can  be  no  excuse  for  breaking  the  Convention  ;  by  which  it 
was  stipulated  with  Russia  that  seven  years  should  be  the 
period  of  each  Prince's  government.  You  will  probably 
expect  to  hear  that  this  measure  originated  with  the  French 
Ambassador,  in  effect  there  are  proofs  sufficient  that  it  is 
his  work." 

On  29th  September,  M.  Italinski,  having  received  instruc- 
tions from  St.  Petersburgh,  addressed  the  Porte  in  threatening 
terms.  He  protested  against  the  violation  of  the  treaty  of 
1802.  He  demanded  the  immediate  re-instatement  of  the 
two  hospodars,  declaring  that  unless  the  request  were  at 
once  complied  with,  he  should  instantly  ask  for  his  passports. 

The  Porte,  thrown  into  a  panic,  at  first  vacillated  help- 
lessly, returning  evasive  answers,  but  shortly  after  began  half- 
hearted preparations  for  war.  The  treasuries  were  empty, 
the  fortified  positions  had  deteriorated  and  were  ill-guarded, 
the  troops  were  few  and  badly  organized.  Selim  wished  to 
avoid  war.  The  dreadful  position  of  his  country,  surrounded 
by  nations  armed  to  the  teeth,  whose  overtures  were  accom- 
panied by  threats  and  ultimatums,  allowed  him  only  the 
privilege  of  deciding  with  which  of  his  powerful  neighbours 
he  would  fight.  He  inchned  to  friendship  with  France  as 
having,  for  the  moment,  no  particular  designs  upon  Turkey 
and  no  conflicting  ambitions  with  her,  and  above  whose  armies 
hovered  the  prestige  of  Austerlitz.  Selim  seems  to  have  been 
lacking  in  firmness  and  steadfastness  of  purpose.  Baron 
Prevost  says  of  him  ■  :  "  Son  cceur  etait  bon,  son  esprit  juste, 
son  intelligence  vive  et  portce  d  ameliorer  la  condition  de  ses 
peuples.     C'etait    beaucoup,    sans   doute,    mais   I'absence   totale 

'  Revtte  Coniemporaire,  1854,  vol.  xiv.  pp.  5-6. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  191 

de  caradere  rendit  ses  vertus  inutiles  a  I'Empire  et  Junestes 
d  lui-meme." 

On  15th  October,  the  Porte,  yielding  to  the  pressure  of 
the  Russian  and  Enghsh  Ambassadors,  restored  the  hospodars 
to  their  posts,  to  the  indignation  of  Sebastiani,  who  exclaimed  : 
"  This  is  the  most  shameful  submission  it  is  possible  to  meet 
with  in  the  annals  of  this  Empire  !  "  He  demanded  an  audience 
of  the  Sultan.     This  was  refused  him  by  the  Reis  Effendi. 

The  English  and  Russian  influence  had  momentarily 
triumphed.  But  not  for  long.  The  policy  of  Turkey,  weakened 
and  torn  by  internal  dissensions,  was  always  to  give  way  to 
the  strongest  Power.  External  events  therefore  had  a  power- 
ful influence  on  her  diplomacy.  The  news  of  the  battle  of 
Jena,  in  which  Napoleon  was  again  victorious,  produced  a 
revulsion  of  feeling  in  Constantinople.  A  letter  from  Napoleon 
to  Selim  held  out  the  warmest  promises  of  support.  He  would 
not,  he  said,  restore  Berlin  and  Warsaw  until  the  Sultan's 
authority  in  Wallachia  and  Moldavia  had  been  firmly  re- 
established. Selim  wrote  in  reply  a  letter  full  of  the  most 
cordial  and  flowery  expressions  of  friendship :  "  Depius 
longtemps  noire  desir  tendait  d  ce  que  les  fruits  salutaires  de 
I'arbre  de  I'amitie  si  heureusement  plante  dans  nos  cceurs, 
vinnssent  en/in  orner  le  plateau  du  grand  jour,"  etc.' 

Selim  flattered  himself  that  he  had  so  well  controlled  the 
situation  that,  while  satisfying  the  demands  of  Russia,  he 
could  retain  the  friendship  of  France.  But  either  the  Emperor 
Alexander  was  not  to  be  baulked  of  his  designs  on  Turkey, 
or  else,  as  Mr.  Arbuthnot  suggests  in  his  autobiography, 
the  news  of  the  re-instatement  of  the  two  hospodars  arrived 
too  late.  This  was,  at  any  rate,  the  explanation  given  later 
by  Russia,  who,  however,  did  not  change  her  policy  when 
(on  4th  November)  the  news  of  the  Turkish  concessions  reached 
St.  Petersburgh.  She  declared  herself  still  dissatisfied,  de- 
manded free  passage  for  Russian  warships  into  the  Bosphorus, 
and  required  an  instant  renewal  of  the  former  treaty  between 
England,  Russia  and  Turkey. 

Meanwhile,  the  Russian  troops  had  crossed  the  Dniester 
and  occupied  several  important  towns,  without  the  formahty 

'  La  Politique  Orientate  de  Napolioii,  1806-1808,  by  Edouard  Driault,  Paris, 
1904. 


192  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

of  a  declaration  of  war  or  a  withdrawal  of  the  Russian  Ambassa- 
dor, whose  position  was  now  extremely  difficult  and  by  no  means 
without  danger.  Having  no  instructions,  he  endeavoured  to 
explain  away  the  invasion  as  best  he  could,  representing  that 
the  Russian  armies  could  only  have  crossed  the  frontier  as 
the  friends  and  protectors  of  Turkey. 

Poor,  harassed  Selim  probably  knew  well  the  meaning  of 
such  "  protection."  Similar  favours  were  offered  him  on  all 
sides  with  embarrassing  persistence.  It  required  a  firmer 
hand  than  his  to  guide  the  barque  of  State  through  these 
troubled  waters  with  success.  In  the  face  of  this  emergency, 
he  hesitated  and  vacillated  painfully. 

It  is  clear  that  Mr.  Arbuthnot  also  found  the  situation 
difficult  and  embarrassing.  On  the  13th  December  he  addressed 
a  letter  to  the  Dragoman  of  the  Porte,'  in  which  he  speaks 
of  "  the  disagreeable  intelligence  which  has  reached  me  of  the 
circumstances  which  have  occurred  between  the  troops  of  the 
Sublime  Porte  and  those  of  Russia.  .  .  ." 

"  Since  I  wrote  to  you,"  he  continues,  "  I  have  had  a 
conversation  on  this  subject  with  Chevalier  Italinski.  He 
regrets  as  much  as  I  do  this  lamentable  event.  ...  In  the 
situation,  however,  in  which  we  find  ourselves  placed,  being 
hitherto  totally  unacquainted  with  the  motives  of  the  incursion 
of  the  Russian  troops,  we  can  at  this  moment  ...  do  no  more 
than  lament  the  interruption  of  the  good  understanding  which 
existed  between  the  Sublime  Porte  and  her  AUies." 

He  suggests  that  "  the  entrance  of  the  Russians  must 
therefore  ...  be  regarded  solely  as  a  measure  directed  towards 
the  security  of  the  Sublime  Porte,  and  the  unfortunate  event 
of  which  you  apprized  me  .  .  .  can  only  be  attributed  to  one 
of  those  instances  of  misunderstanding  which  no  human 
prudence  can  prevent."  He  admits  that  it  is  natural  that 
the  Porte  should  be  "  extremely  dissatisfied."  He  strongly 
advises,  for  the  present,  "  no  indication  of  displeasure  with 
Russia,"  and  speaks  of  England  as  Turkey's  "  faithful  Ally." 

The  Russian  invasion,  however,  was  a  fact,  and  no  words 

could  explain  it  away.     Public  indignation  was  extreme,  and 

the  population  of  Constantinople  was  now  intensely  excited. 

Only  the  intervention  of    the  French   Ambassador  himself 

•  The  Times,  5th  March.  1807. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    193 

prevented  M.  Italinski  from  being  seized  and  flung  into  the 
Seven  Towers.  On  the  24th  of  December,  Turkey  declared  war 
on  Russia,  and  the  Ambassador,  going  on  board  an  English 
ship,  was  conveyed  to  Tenedos. 

Mr.  Arbuthnot  was  now  left  alone  to  grapple  with  the 
situation  as  best  he  could.  On  23rd  January,  1807,  he  received 
instructions  from  his  Government  to  demand  the  instant 
dismissal  of  the  French  Ambassador  and  the  immediate  satis- 
faction of  the  "  just  demands  "  of  Russia.  He  was  notified 
at  the  same  time  that  a  naval  force  was  being  prepared,  and 
that  a  squadron  would  be  sent  to  Constantinople  to  give 
weight  to  and  "  if  necessary  to  enforce  "  acquiescence  in  his 
demands.  He  was  directed,  "  as  a  rupture  appears  but  too 
probable,"  to  take  all  necessary  precautions  "  for  the  safety 
of  British  merchants  against  injury." 

Mr.  Arbuthnot  immediately  asked  for  a  conference  with  the 
Turkish  ministers,  which  took  place  on  the  25th  January. 
This  interview  lasted  four  hours,  and  Mr.  Arbuthnot  reported 
to  Lord  Howick  '  that  "  the  Ottoman  ministers  were  so  amazed 
and  dejected  that  they  did  not  utter  a  single  word  which  is 
worth  repeating  to  your  Lordship." 

Mr.  Arbuthnot  warned  the  Porte  of  the  approaching  arrival 
of  a  British  squadron,  added  that  he  should  prepare  the 
British  merchants  for  their  departure,  and  obtained  a  solemn 
promise  that  if  necessary  they  (as  had  been  the  case  with  the 
Russians)  should  have  firmans  to  pass  the  Dardanelles  unmo- 
lested. A  small  squadron  of  British  ships  was  at  that  moment 
at  the  entrance  to  the  Dardanelles,  waiting  for  reinforcements, 
while  the  frigate  Endymion  was  at  anchor  before  Con- 
stantinople. The  despatch  in  which  Mr.  Arbuthnot  described 
this  interview,  with  other  important  enclosures,  was  to  have 
left  Constantinople  on  27th  January,  and  with  that  purpose 
he  sent  his  interpreter  to  the  Reis  Effendi  to  ask  for  the  cus- 
tomary passport  for  the  messenger  who  was  to  take  it.  About 
five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  he  was  told  that  he  could  not  have 
one  that  day,  and  that  "  the  Reis  Effendi  seemed  to  dislike  my 
transmitting  any  despatches  to  England,  as  my  writing  so 

'  Charles,  Viscount  Howick,  afterwards  second  Earl  Grey,  was  Foreign  Secre- 
tary at  this  time.     Grenville's  ministry  of  "  All  the  Talents  "  was  in  office,  and  was 
singularly  unfortunate  in  its  foreign  poHcy  in  every  part  of  the  world. 
13 


194  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

immediately  after  my  conference,  and  before  I  had  an  answer 
from  the  Porte,  gave  ground  for  apprehension  that  I  was  not 
inclined  to  an  amicable  termination  of  our  differences. 

"  Not  having  at  the  moment  any  idea  that  the  Porte  could 
really  intend  decidedly  to  refuse  a  firman,  I  had  no  scruple 
in  authorizing  Mr.  Pisani  to  assure  the  Reis  Effendi  in  writing, 
and  to  give  my  word  of  honour  for  the  truth  of  what  he  was 
to  advance,  that  I  could  not  delay  sending  a  messenger  to  your 
Lordship,  as  I  had  several  despatches  to  transmit,  which  had 
been  prepared  before  the  arrival  of  the  late  instructions  from 
England ;  and  that,  with  respect  to  those  instructions,  I 
had  merely  informed  my  Government  of  what  had  passed  at 
our  conference,  but  that  I  had  scrupulously  avoided  to  give 
any  opinion  as  to  the  nature  of  the  answer  which  I  was  expecting 
to  receive.  I  was  anxious  to  make  it  clear  to  the  Porte  that 
I  had  not  acted  so  unfairly  as  to  prejudge  the  question  ; 
and  your  Lordship  will  in  fact  have  seen  that  I  confined  myself 
to  a  bare  statement  of  what  had  passed,  without  venturing 
to  form  a  conjecture  whether  the  demands  I  had  made  would 
be  agreed  to  or  refused. 

"  Mr.  Pisani  wrote  that  evening  to  the  Reis  Effendi,  and 
very  early  in  the  morning  of  the  28th  he  went  to  the  Porte 
for  the  purpose  of  renewing  his  application  for  a  firman,  and 
with  the  hope  that  the  explanatory  letter  which  I  had  enabled 
him  to  write,  would  certainly  have  removed  every  difficulty. 

''  It  did  not  appear,  however,  that  my  assurances  had 
produced  the  desired  effect.  The  Reis  Effendi  could  not 
continue  to  allege  the  same  excuse  for  delaying  to  deliver  the 
firman,  but  now  he  took  another  ground,  and  after  keeping 
Mr.  Pisani  waiting  at  the  Porte  the  whole  of  the  day,  he  at 
last  did  not  scruple  to  say,  that  in  the  actual  state  of  affairs 
it  would  be  extremely  embarrassing  for  the  Porte  if  I  held 
a  communication  with  the  Admiral  of  the  British  squadron. 
"  It  might,  he  observed,  be  my  intention  to  write  in  such 
terms  to  the  Admiral  as  would  cause  hostilities  against  the 
Porte,  and  as  I  had  declared  in  my  conference  that  the  strict- 
est union  existed  beween  His  Majesty  and  the  Emperor  of 
Russia,  measures  might  be  taken,  in  consequence  of  my  letters, 
for  the  fleets  of  the  two  Nations  to  attempt  in  concert  the 
passage  of  the  Dardanelles." 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    195 

Although  there  was  nothing  in  Mr.  Arbuthnot's  correspon- 
dence on  which  such  a  sinister  interpretation  could  be  placed, 
it  cannot  be  denied  that  the  Porte  had,  more  or  less,  rightly- 
gauged  the  situation.  The  intention  was  that  if  the  Turkish 
reply  were  unsatisfactory,  Constantinople  should  be  forthwith 
bombarded,  and  it  is  superfluous  to  remark  that  no  such  attack 
could  be  made  unless  the  Dardanelles  were  first  forced.  Part 
of  the  Russian  fleet  was  then  cruising  in  the  Mediterranean, 
adding  to  the  menace  on  that  side.  As  early  as  the  22nd 
November,  1806,  an  order  marked  Most  Secret  was  despatched 
from  the  Admiralty  to  Lord  Colhngwood,  then  at  Cadiz, 
containing  directions  as  to  "  measures  to  be  taken  in  the 
present  situation  of  affairs  in  the  Levant."  His  orders  were 
to  detach  a  squadron  immediately,  to  proceed  to  Turkish 
waters,  and,  if  Mr.  Arbuthnot's  negotiations  should  fail,  "  to 
act  offensively  against  Constantinople."  ' 

The  ultimatum  to  be  presented  to  Turkey  by  the  Admiral 
in  charge  of  this  expedition  was  far  in  advance  of  any  demands 
yet  made  by  Mr.  Arbuthnot,  for  the  order  ran  that  the  Admiral 
should  require  the  "  immediate  surrender  of  the  Turkish 
fleet,  together  with  that  of  a  supply  of  naval  stores  from  the 
Arsenal  sufficient  for  its  equipment ;  and  he  is  to  accompany 
his  demand  with  a  menace,  in  case  of  refusal,  of  immediately 
commencing  hostilities  against  the  town." 

Every  precaution  was  to  be  taken  for  the  security  of  Mr. 
Arbuthnot,  and  stress  is  laid  on  the  necessity  of  either  destroy- 
ing or  gaining  possession  of  the  Turkish  fleet. 

The  orders  given  by  Lord  Collingwood  to  Admiral  Duck- 
worth, also  marked  Most  Secret,  were  equally  explicit.  If,  after 
launching  his  threat  to  destroy  the  town,  any  negotiations 
should  "  be  proposed  by  the  Turkish  Government,  as  such 
proposition  will  probably  be  to  gain  time  for  preparing  their 
resistance,  or  securing  their  ships,"  it  was  recommended 
that  "  no  negotiation  should  be  continued  more  than  half 
an  hour." 

We  must  return  to  Mr.  Arbuthnot  at  Constantinople.  He 
found  himself  in  a  most  uncomfortable  and  isolated  position, 

"  These  quotations  and  extracts  from  the  Admiralty  instructions  are  quoted 
from  the  Papers  respecting  Austria,  Denmark,  the  Ottoman  Porte,  etc.,  presented 
to  Parliament  by  His  Majesty's  Command,  i8o8. 


196  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

cut  off  from  communication  with  his  Government  and  in  danger 
of  being  no  longer  able  to  report  to  it  or  to  receive  its  instruc- 
tions. Present  to  his  mind  must  have  been  the  example  of 
the  French  envoy,  Ruffiin,  who,  on  the  outbreak  of  war  btween 
France  and  Turkey  in  1798,  had  been  seized  and  flung  into 
the  Seven  Towers,  regardless  of  international  law.  He  had 
with  him  his  four  young  children,  the  eldest  not  over  six  years 
old.  He  determined  to  make  one  more  attempt  to  get  his 
despatch  taken  through  to  the  British  ships  waiting  under 
Admiral  Louis  at  Tenedos.  "  There  was  not  a  moment's 
time  to  be  lost,"  he  writes  to  Lord  Howick,  ".  .  .  going 
immediately  to  Captain  Capel,"  who  happened  fortunately 
to  be  in  my  house,  I  desired  him  to  acquaint  the  Officer  who 
was  to  carry  my  despatches  with  the  critical  situation  of 
affairs  ;  and  to  give  him  orders  to  wait  till  it  was  dark,  and 
then  to  set  off  for  the  Dardanelles  without  a  firman. 

"  I  had  hopes  that  the  officer,  by  taking  this  precaution, 
might  be  able  to  reach  the  squadron  without  being  detained, 
and  I  have  been  happy  to  learn  since  that  I  was  not  deceived 
in  my  expectation." 

Mr.  Arbuthnot  now  addressed  to  the  Porte  another  letter 
of  remonstrance,  asking  whether  the  refusal  of  a  passport  to 
his  courier  had  been  owing  to  some  mistake,  or  whether 
anything  of  the  sort  could  ever  happen  again  ?  At  the 
same  time  he  declared  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  him 
to  remain  at  Constantinople  if  passports  for  his  messengers 
were  refused. 

In  the  meantime  he  was  informed,  from  various  quarters, 
that  the  Porte,  influenced  "  by  the  news  of  a  great  defeat 
which  was  said  to  have  been  suffered  by  the  Russians  on  the 
22nd  December,"  had  at  last  come  to  a  definite  decision  to 
treat  the  British  demands  with  contempt.  And,  further, 
"  that  the  intention  was  to  seize  the  Endymion  and  to  thwart 
the  operations  of  His  Majesty's  Government,  by  keeping 
me  and  the  British  Factory  as  hostages." 

Mr.  Arbuthnot  goes  on  to  relate  that  the  Porte  was  evidently 
making  preparations  to  defend  the  Straits,  and,  under  General 
Sebastiani's  advice,  was  stationing  ships  where  they  could  be 

«  Captain  the  Hon.  Thomas  Bladen  Capel,  afterwards  Vice-Admiral  of  the 
Blue,  was  the  fifth  son  of  William,  fourth  Earl  of  Essex. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  197 

best  employed  for  conducting  hostilities,  while  preparations 
were  going  forward  for  improving  the  land  fortifications. 

He  continues  :  "  Although  I  had  so  many  and  such  strong 
reasons  for  mistrusting  the  Porte,  and  although  Captain 
Capel  had  begun  to  be  extremely  alarmed  for  the  safety  of 
the  Endymion,  it  was  not  till  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning 
of  the  29th  January  that  I  formed  my  resolution  of  endeavour- 
ing to  quit  Pera.  I  had  not  long  resolved  to  do  it  before  I 
learnt  from  a  person  who  was  not  likely  to  deceive  me,  that, 
according  to  the  information  I  had  already  received,  we  were 
all  of  us  really  to  be  detained  as  hostages  ;  and  as  Mr.  Pisani 
came  soon  afterwards  to  inform  me  that  he  could  neither 
obtain  a  firman  nor  an  answer  to  my  note,  the  Reis  Effendi 
not  having  been  prevailed  upon  to  do  more  than  to  direct 
him  to  call  again  on  the  ensuing  day  ;  I  had  no  doubt  remain- 
ing as  to  the  propriety  of  my  retiring  from  a  post  where  I  was 
not  allowed  the  means  of  doing  my  duty  to  my  Sovereign." 

A  letter  from  Admiral  Louis  to  Lord  CoUingwood,  dated 
5th  February,  furnishes  a  few  details  as  to  Mr.  Arbuthnot's 
last  hours  in  Constantinople,  and  his  reasons  for  breaking  off 
relations  with  the  Porte.  "  His  Excellency,"  he  writes, 
"  was  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  these  measures,  from  having 
privately  understood  on  good  authority  that  it  was  the  inten- 
tion of  the  Turkish  Government  to  seize  the  frigate,  his  person 
and  the  persons  of  all  the  British  merchants,  as  hostages,  that 
no  attempts  should  be  made  against  them  by  our  forces  ; 
and  it  is  understood  that  they  intended,  should  our  fleet 
attempt  to  fire  on  their  forts  or  capital,  that  their  hostages 
should  all  suffer  death,  under  circumstances  of  the  most  severe 
torture  that  malice  could  invent,  of  which  an  instance  occurred 
too  horrid  to  describe  on  the  day  the  Ambassador  had  his 
last  conference  with  the  Porte  :  A  Greek  Prince,  of  eighty 
years  of  age,  the  father  of  the  Hospodar  of  Wallachia  (now 
with  the  Russian  Army)  was  put  to  death  after  suffermg  long 
and  excruciating  tortures  ;  and  it  may  be  supposed  that  the 
particular  moment  of  the  Ambassador's  audience  was  chosen 
to  intimidate  him  in  the  performance  of  his  duty,  but  his  firm 
and  dignified  conduct  baffled  all  their  expectations." 

Although  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  go,  it  was  not  alto- 
gether easy  to  put  this  plan  into  execution.     The  strictest 


198  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

secrecy  had  to  be  observed,  and  not  the  smallest  preparation 
for  a  journey  made.  Mr.  Arbuthnot  told  no  one  of  his  inten- 
tion except  Captain  Capel  of  the  Endymion,  in  which 
ship  he  proposed  to  leave,  and  one  other  Englishman,  to  whom 
he  confided  the  task  of  summoning  all  the  British  merchants 
to  meet  him  on  board  the  Endymion,  ostensibly  for  a  social 
gathering.  "  I  had  to  provide  for  the  security  of  the  British 
merchants,  and  I  had  also  to  convey  my  own  family  on  board 
of  ship,  without  suspicion  being  given  of  what  I  was  intending." 

When  he  "  had  reason  to  believe  that  every  British  subject 
was  already  gone  to  the  Endmyion,"  Mr.  Arbuthnot  went  on 
board  himself,  with  his  children,  "  and  had  the  satisfaction 
to  find  that  not  a  single  person  was  missing." 

He  briefly  explained  to  them  the  reason  for  his  action 
and  his  intention  to  convey  them  all  through  to  the  safe 
protection  of  the  British  ships,  and  relates  that  the  merchants, 
who  could  remember  the  treatment  of  the  French  merchants 
during  the  former  war,  "  seemed  to  be  unanimously  of  opinion 
that  I  had  acted  properly."  This  seems  to  contradict  the 
French  Ambassador's  assertion  that  there  was  a  loud  outcry 
on  board  the  Endymion  when  Mr.  Arbuthnot's  plan  was  made 
known  and  the  merchants  informed  that  none  of  them  could 
be  allowed  to  return  to  land.' 

Mr.  Arbuthnot  addressed  a  parting  letter  to  the  Reis 
Effendi,  in  which  he  remarked  that  free  communication  with 
his  Government  having  been  denied  him,  he  could  not  "  con- 
sider himself  any  longer  as  being  in  a  Country  which  wishes 
to  preserve  the  relations  of  friendship  with  his  Majesty.  .  .  . 
He  has  therefore  been  forced  to  the  resolution  of  repairing  to 
the  British  fleet  anchored  off  Tenedos,  where  he  can  find  the 

'  ^^■e  must  notice  that  Lord  Broughton,  who  seems  to  have  collected  his 
facts  from  an  eye-witness,  gives  the  following  account  of  the  scene  on  board  the 
Endymion  :  "As  they  were  sitting  at  coffee  after  nightfall  in  the  cabin,  they 
found  the  ship  under  weigh.  Her  cables  had  been  cut.  The  assurance  that  they 
had  been  saved  from  certain  destruction  did  not  prevent  the  merchants,  who 
had  left  their  counting-houses  open,  and  even  their  papers  exposed,  from  earnestly 
entreating  to  be  allowed  to  land  and  abide  the  event.  .  .  ."  Doubtless  both  these 
accounts  can  be  reconciled.  There  must  at  first  have  been  not  only  consternation, 
but  a  certain  amount  of  resentment  on  the  part  of  the  merchants,  but  after  hearing 
a  full  explanation  of  Mr.  Arbuthnot's  reasons  for  his  action,  they  probably  came 
round  to  the  view  that  the  ruse  he  had  adopted  was  more  than  justified. — See 
Travels  in  Albania  and  Other  Provinces  of  Turkey,  iSog-io,"  by  Lord  Broughton, 
vol.  ii..  Appendix,  p.  511.     John  Murray,  London,   1855. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  199 

security  which  is  refused  to  him  here,  and  it  will  rejoice  him 
if  the  Sublime  Porte  should  send  him  such  an  answer  to  the 
demands  he  made  in  the  conference  of  the  25th  instant,  as 
will  permit  his  again  returning  to  his  post."  Mr.  Arbuthnot 
also  adds  that  the  Porte  will  be  held  responsible  for  the  pro- 
perty of  the  English  merchants,  and  his  own  effects,  as  well 
as  those  at  the  Embassy  belonging  to  his  Britannic  Majesty. 
This  note,  dated  29th  January,  he  left  with  one  of  his  servants, 
who  had  orders  not  to  deliver  it  till  the  following  morning. 

"  At  nine  o'clock  at  night,  when  it  was  so  dark  that  our 
departure  was  not  likely  to  be  perceived.  Captain  Capel 
ordered  his  cables  to  be  cut.  .  .  .  After  having  had  some 
reason  to  apprehend  that  the  Captain  Pacha,  who  was  with 
the  Turkish  fleet,  might  attempt  to  detain  us,  we  had  the 
satisfaction  to  find  that  our  salutes  were  returned ;  and 
shortly  after,  it  being  early  in  the  morning  of  the  31st  January, 
we  anchored  in  the  midst  of  his  Majesty's  squadron,  which, 
instead  of  removing  to  Tenedos  as  was  intended,  had  been 
unexpectedly  obliged  to  remain  at  the  Dardanelles." 

Great  was  the  sensation  caused  at  Constantinople  the 
following  day,  when  it  became  known  that  the  British  Ambassa- 
dor had  withdrawn  to  the  fleet.  The  Porte  at  once  expressed 
the  most  unbounded  astonishment  at  his  action.  No  reason 
for  such  a  departure  could  possibly  occur  to  the  innocent- 
minded  Turkish  ministers.  They  immediately  sent  out  a 
circular  note  to  all  the  ministers  of  foreign  Powers  resident 
in  Constantinople.  In  this  they  asserted  that  "  Mr.  Arbuthnot, 
having  in  a  conference  held  five  or  six  days  ago,  made  some 
strange  propositions,  the  Turkish  Ministers  in  their  answer 
Hmited  themselves  to  saying,  that  the  Sublime  Porte  at  this 
present  epoch  was  at  war  with  Russia  and  at  peace  with  Great 
Britain."  They  alleged  that  after  their  conference  he  presented 
a  note  to  which  he  demanded  an  answer  in  writing,  and  that 
while  this  was  under  consideration,  "  he  all  of  a  sudden, 
without  sending  advice,  and  without  the  cause  being  known, 
embarked  in  an  English  frigate  which  was  in  the  harbour  at 
the  time,  and  taking  his  people  and  some  merchants  with  him, 
left  Constantinople  and  absented  himself  in  the  middle  of  the 
night,  by  cutting  and  leaving  the  ship's  anchor  behind ; 
a   conduct   which   has   created   much   astonishment."     They 


200  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

went  on  to  say  that  it  was  notorious  that  the  safety  of  the 
British  Ambassador  and  other  British  subjects  had  never  been 
in  question,  and  that  all  their  property  and  dependents  would 
be  protected,  while  the  effects  of  the  Ambassador  himself 
would  be  consigned  to  the  care  of  the  Danish  Charge  d' Affaires, 
M.  Hubsh. 

The  fact  that  the  Endymion  had  been  allowed  to  pass 
unchallenged  is  thus  commented  upon  by  Mr.  Arbuthnot  : 
"  I  cannot  help  considering  it  was  most  fortunate  that  Sir 
Thomas  Louis  was  still  in  sight  of  the  Turkish  ships,  as  I 
much  doubt  whether  otherwise  we  should  have  been  allowed 
to  pass  without  molestation." 

The  squadron  now  removed  to  Tenedos,  Mr.  Arbuthnot 
being  most  anxious  that  this  movement  should  not  be  delayed, 
being  "  desirous  that  nothing  which  could  be  construed  into 
an  hostile  intention  should  appear  to  be  the  consequence  of 
my  arrival."  On  the  nth  February  the  squadron  under 
Admiral  Duckworth  arrived  from  Malta,  and  Captain  the 
Hon.  Henry  Blackwood  writes  to  Lord  Castlereagh  '  on  12th 
February :  "  Yesterday  we  reached  this  island,  where  we 
found  Mr.  Arbuthnot,  who  had  been  obhged  to  quit  Constanti- 
nople so  suddenly  in  the  Endymion  frigate  with  the  English 
Factory,  as  to  leave  behind  everything  but  what  he  and  his 
children  had  on  them." 

The  combined  squadrons  now  amounted  to  eight  ships 
of  the  line,  two  frigates  and  two  bomb  vessels.  On  the 
night  of  the  14th  February  the  Ajax,  Captain  Blackwood's 
ship,  was  accidentally  destroyed  by  fire,  252  lives  being  lost. 
Admiral  Duckworth  was  therefore  left  with  only  seven  ships 
of  the  line,  with  which  to  attempt  an  enterprise  believed  till 
that  time  to  be  absolutely  impossible. 

That  Mr.  Arbuthnot  had  rightly  interpreted  the  wishes  of 
his  Government  in  leaving  Constantinople  is  shown  by  the 
fact  that  instructions,  dated  from  Downing  Street,  20th 
November,  1806,  were  at  that  moment  on  their  way  to  him 
• — though  he  did  not  receive  them  till  after  his  arrival  in  Malta 
a  few  weeks  later — containing  the  following  explicit  directions  : 

•  Correspondence,  Despatches  and  Other  Papers  of  Viscount  Castlereagh,  edited 
by  his  brother,  Charles  Wilham  Vane,  Marquis  of  Londonderry,  1851,  vol.  vi. 
pp.   157-8. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    201 

"  .  .  .  .  But  if  this  satisfaction  should  unfortunately  be 
refused,  or  improperly  delayed,  you  will  deliver  in  a  note 
recapitulating  the  complaints  which  his  Majesty  has  to  urge 
against  the  Porte,  and  declaring  your  mission  to  be  at  an  end  ; 
and  taking  care,  as  far  as  may  be  possible,  to  secure  the 
persons  and  property  belonging  to  it,  as  well  as  to  the  British 
factory,  you  will  retire  on  board  the  fleet,  or  to  a  place  of 
safety,  and  immediately  signify  to  the  British  Admiral  that 
hostilities  are  to  commence." 

Mr.  Arbuthnot,  who  had  by  no  means  given  up  hope  of  a 
peaceful  solution  to  the  difficulty,  now  at  once  opened  negotia- 
tions with  the  Capitan  Pacha,  and  on  13th  February  went  on 
board  his  ship,  where  a  long  and  perfectly  friendly  interview 
took  place,  but  no  agreement  was  reached.  Mr.  Arbuthnot 
insisted  that  the  British  squadron  must  pass  up  the  Dardanelles, 
in  conformity  with  the  orders  of  his  Government,  but  laid 
stress  on  the  point  that  they  would  not  necessarily  go  as 
enemies,  and  that  their  action  would  depend  on  the  attitude 
adopted  towards  them  by  the  Porte.  The  Capitan  Pacha, 
on  the  other  hand,  claimed  that  his  orders  did  not  allow  him 
to  agree  to  the  passage  of  the  squadron  unhindered  through 
the  Straits,  and  that  "  he  should  have  to  answer  with  his 
head  for  having  presumed  to  disobey  the  Sultan's  orders." 
He  also  remarked  that  the  French  army  had  marched  rapidly 
towards  the  Dniester,  and  this  obliged  the  Porte  to  be  more 
cautious  than  heretofore  in  her  negotiations,  as  any  appearance 
of  a  rapprochement  with  England  and  Russia  might  result 
in  Buonaparte's  invading  Turkey. 

"  I  wish  much  that  the  Capitan  Pacha  had  been  invested 
with  discretionary  powers  to  treat  with  me,"  wrote  Mr. 
Arbuthnot,  "  his  Highness  says  he  has  none  such.  He  there- 
fore must  obey  the  orders  of  his  Sovereign,  and  we  must  be 
equally  obedient  to  the  orders  of  ours." 

The  immediate  forcing  of  the  Dardanelles  was  therefore 
decided  upon,  and  the  concluding  words  in  Mr.  Arbuthnot's 
letter  to  Lord  Howick  of  14th  February  show  that  he  under- 
estimated neither  the  difficulties  nor  the  dangers  likely  to  be 
met  with.  After  pointing  out  that  the  Turks,  ever  since  the 
war  with  Russia,  had  been  strengthening  their  defences,  he 
adds  :    "I  mention  this,  because  it  is  not  unlikely  that  there 


202  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

may  be  a  failure  in  some  of  the  objects  which  we  have  in  view. 
This  apprehension,  however,  would  have  no  effect  on  the 
decision  of  the  Admiral,  or,  if  I  may  say  so,  on  that  of  myself. 
Our  Sovereign  and  his  Ally  had  been  greatly  injured.  A  power- 
ful fleet  has  been  sent  to  secure  those  interests  which  had 
been  endangered  ;  and  though  the  passage  of  the  Dardanelles 
in  its  present  fortified  state  cannot  be  undertaken  without 
great  risk,  any  probable  loss  would  in  my  opinion  be  preferable 
to  that  dishonour  which  would  be  attached  to  his  Majesty's 
arms  if  a  menace  had  been  made,  which  in  the  day  of  trial 
we  had  not  dared  to  act  upon." 

Captain  Blackwood  had  thus  described  the  project  in  a 
letter  to  Lord  Castlereagh  of  the  2nd  February :  "  To- 
morrow we  sail  ...  to  attempt  to  force  the  passage  of  the 
Dardanelles,  hitherto  considered  as  impassable,  push  up  to 
Constantinople,  and  there  endeavour  not  only  to  awe  the 
Porte  into  concessions  to  Russia,  but  to  give  us  up  her  navy 
to  take  care  of  till  we  have  a  peace  with  France,  and  to  send 
Sebastiani  away  from  Constantinople, — terms  which  I  cannot 
see  how  so  limited  a  force  as  we  have  ought  to  expect  to  obtain, 
particularly  as  we  have  not  a  land-troop  to  take  posssession 
of  and  hold  the  forts  in  the  Dardanelles,  or  a  single  resource 
within  ourselves  more  than  cruising  ships  usually  have.  .  .  . 
It  is,  however,  our  duty,  whether  we  succeed  or  not,  to  make 
the  attempt,"  etc 

That  a  considerable  amount  of  misgiving  was  felt  by  the 
Admiral  himself  is  quite  clear.  In  his  letter  to  Lord  CoUing- 
wood  of  the  14th  February  he  emphasises  the  difficulties  in 
the  following  terms  :  "Of  the  hazard  which  attends  such 
an  enterprise,  I  am  most  fully  aware.  We  are  to  enter  a  sea 
environed  with  enemies,  without  a  possible  resource  but  in  our- 
selves ;  and  when  we  are  to  return,  there  cannot  remain  a 
doubt  but  that  the  passage  will  be  rendered  as  formidable  as 
the  efforts  of  the  Turkish  Empire,  directed  and  assisted  by 

'  Lord  Londonderry  writes  :  "I  believe  it  may  be  said  that  never  was  a 
force,  naval  or  military,  destined  for  a  service  of  such  peril  and  importance,  aban- 
doned with  such  improvidence  to  the  caprice  of  cliance,  or  despatched  with  such 
neglect  of  all  the  means  calculated  to  afford  a  prospect  of  success  to  its  exertions, 
as  the  little  squadron  sent  on  this  occasion  to  awe  imperial  Turkey,  and  to  work 
a  change  in  the  counsels  of  her  rulers." — Correspondence,  Despatches  and  Other 
Papers  of  Viscount  Castlereagh,  edited  by  his  brother,  Charles  William  Vane,  third 
Marquess  of  Londonderry,   1851,  vol.   vi.  pp.   149-150. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  203 

their  allies  the  French,  can  make  it.  I  intreat  your  Lordsliip, 
however,  to  beheve  that  as  I  am  aware  of  the  difficulties  we 
have  to  encounter,  so  I  am  resolved  that  nothing  on  my  part 
be  left  undone  that  can  ensure  of  our  surmounting  them." 

From  Captain  Blackwood's  account,  it  appears  that  the 
Admiral  was  in  fact  very  doubtful  about  the  wisdom  of 
proceeding  forward  at  all,  and  he  states  that  had  it  not  been 
for  Mr.  Arbuthnot's  resolution,  it  might  never  have  been 
attempted.  But  the  latter  declared  that  after  the  threats 
he  had  been  instructed  to  make  to  the  Porte  "  it  would  be 
more  for  the  credit  of  England  the  whole  should  perish  in  the 
attempt,  than  that  it  should  not  be  attempted,"  and  this, 
accordingly,  determined  Sir  John  Duckworth. 

On  the  morning  of  the  igth  February  a  fair  wind  from  the 
South-west  enabled  the  Admiral  to  weigh  anchor  and  start 
on  the  momentous  journey  up  the  Dardanelles.  So  anxious 
was  Mr.  Arbuthnot  to  show  the  pacific  intentions  of  himself 
and  his  Government,  that  at  his  special  request  orders  were 
given  that  should  the  Turkish  forts  open  fire  on  the  squadron 
during  its  passage,  no  response  should  in  the  first  instance 
be  made.  By  a  quarter  to  nine  the  whole  of  the  squadron — 
consisting  of  seven  ships  of  the  line,  two  frigates  and  two  fire 
ships — had  passed  the  outer  Castles,  which  opened  fire,  though 
without  much  effect.  The  English  withheld  their  fire,  or, 
as  M.  Driault  more  picturesquely  puts  it,"  "  Les  Anglais  ne 
repondirent  point  et  disparurent  au  nord  da)is  la  fumee  de  la 
cannonade  ottomane." 

The  current  in  the  Dardanelles  — the  Hellespont  of  the 
ancient  world — is  very  strong,  running,  says  Mr.  Sutherland 
Menzies,  at  the  rate  of  5,560  metres  an  hour.  The  Black 
Sea,  which  receives  the  waters  of  twenty  great  rivers,  has  its 
one  outlet  through  the  narrow  Bosphorus  and  on  past  the 
Dardanelles,  and,  as  may  be  supposed,  the  volume  of  water 
driven  through  the  channels  is  immense. 

At  9.30  the  first  ships,  under  Sir  Thomas  Louis, 
entered  the  narrow  passage  of  Sestos  and  Abydos,  where  the 
Straits  are  only  a  mile  wide,  coming  under  a  very  heavy  fire 
from  the  Castles  of  Europe  and  Asia  at  close  range.  Admiral 
Louis  no  longer  held  his  fire.     His  ships  responded  briskly 

»  Politique  Orientale  de  Napolion,  by  Edouard  Driault,  p.  951 


204  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

and  passed  on  with  only  moderate  damage.  Once  beyond  the 
Castles,  the  Admkal  found  himself  face  to  face  with  a  Turkish 
squadron,  with  which  he  immediately  engaged.  Owing  to 
the  celebration  of  the  Feast  of  Beirum,  the  Turkish  fleet  was 
poorly  manned,  most  of  the  crews  being  ashore  in  the  mosques, 
and  "  in  half  an  hour  the  Turks  had  all  cut  their  cables  to  run 
on  shore.  The  object  of  the  Rear-Admiral  was  then  to  destroy 
them,  which  was  most  rapidly  effected,  as,  in  less  than  four 
hours,  the  whole  of  them  had  exploded,  except  a  small  corvette 
and  a  gunboat,  which  it  was  thought  proper  to  preserve."  ' 
Admiral  Duckworth  also  refers  to  the  stone  shot  used  by  the 
Turks,  "  some  of  which  exceed  800  lb.  weight,"  which,  however, 
did  comparatively  little  damage.  The  complete  destruction 
of  the  Turkish  squadron  was  undoubtedly  an  important 
initial  success—"  a  service  which  was  certainly  very  quickly 
and  neatly  performed,  in  the  narrowest  part  of  the  Dardanelles," 
writes  Captain  Blackwood.  "  We  were  under  fire  from  each 
fort  as  we  passed  it,"  writes  Mr.  Arbuthnot  in  his  Autobio- 
graphy, "  for  eight  hours.  We  destroyed  all  the  forts,  and 
the  Turkish  fleet  also,  which  had  been  stationed  to  oppose  us." 
"  Les  Anglais  attaquerent,"  writes  M.  Driault,  "  irrites  de 
quelques  houlets  qu'ils  avaient  regus,  et  'commettant  un  de  ces 
crimes  dont  cette  nation  seul  est  capable,'  ils  hrulerent  six  hatiments, 
un  vaisseau  de  74  et  cinq  belles  frigates  ;  un  seul,  un  petit  brick, 
put  s'echapper  et  gagner  Constantinople."  M.  Driault's  quota- 
tion is  from  the  Moniteur  of  15th  April,  1807.  A  few  pages 
later  he  quotes  a  contemporary,  apparently  an  eye-witness 
of  the  scene,  who  asks,  with  regard  to  the  English,  "  Peut-on 
habiter  le  monde  avec  des  brigands  semblables  ?  " 

Meanwhile  the  news  of  the  destruction  of  the  Turkish 
squadron  threw  Constantinople  into  consternation.  The 
road  to  the  capital  lay  open.  The  other  half  of  the  Turkish 
fleet  was  at  the  northern  end  of  the  Bosphorus,  unable  to 
offer  any  protection.  Despair  and  panic  reigned,  while  the 
British,  after  a  brief  pause  of  two  hours  in  the  Sea  of  Marmora, 
during  which  time  reports  from  the  various  ships  were  received 
and  a  council  of  war  held,  set  their  course  northwards,  and  at 

»  Admiral  Duckworth's  Report  to  Lord  Collingwood,  dated  off  Constanti- 
nople, 2ist  Februarj',  1807. — Papers  presented  to  Parliament  by  his  Majesty's 
command,  1808. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    205 

ten  o'clock  in  the  evening  of  2oth  February  anchored  opposite 
Constantinople,  close  to  Princes  Islands,  which  are  about  eight 
miles  distant  from  the  town. 

Mr.  Arbuthnot  had  always  beheved  that  the  mere  appear- 
ance of  the  fleet  would  have  the  requisite  moral  effect  without 
a  recourse  to  bombardment,  to  which  he  was  much  disinclined, 
except  as  a  last  resource.  Certainly  his  expectations  were 
amply  justified  at  first.  The  sight  of  the  hostile  fleet  in 
their  sacred  waters  filled  the  unfortunate  Turks  with  terror. 
Panic  reigned  in  the  Seragho.  All  night,  says  M.  Driault, 
nothing  was  heard  but  the  screams  of  women  and  the 
cries  of  the  slaves,  and  he  surmises  that  these  sounds 
must  have  brought  joy  to  the  ears  of  the  English — if 
indeed  they  can  have  been  audible  at  a  distance  of  eight 
miles  ? ' 

The  Turks  were  stupefied,  and  Admiral  Duckworth 
had  some  reason  to  believe  that  his  objective  was  attained. 
Sebastiani  also,  for  a  short  time,  lost  heart.  "  Veffroi  des 
Turcs  lie  pent  se  peindre,"  he  wrote  to  Talleyrand,  "  Us  ne 
songent  qu  a  transiger  et  d  obtenir  avec  des  bassesses  des  conditions 
plus  douces.  Les  batteries  que  je  me  suis  efforce  de  faire  fairs 
ne  sont  pas  achevees,  et  j'ai  I'air  d'etre  ici  le  sent  interesse  d 
la  defense  de  la  ville.  Votre  Excellence  ne  peut  se  faire  une 
idee  de  I'insouciance  qui  a  regne  jusqu'ici  :  d  cette  insouciance 
invincible  asuccede  la  crainte."  "■ 

■  M.  Driault  is  certainly  far  from  pleased  with  British  policy  on  tliis  occasion. 
He  is  especially  bitter  over  the  fact  that  advantage  was  taken  of  the  feast  of 
Beirum  to  press  the  offensive.  Far  be  it  from  the  present  writer  to  discuss  the 
ethics  of  warfare,  but  perhaps  it  may  be  remarked  that  one  does  not  easily  visualize 
the  great  Napoleon,  war  having  once  been  decided  upon,  waiting  respectfully 
till  the  Feast  of  Beirum  was  over  before  opening  hostilities.  Where  Turkey  was 
concerned,  there  is  very  little  to  choose  between  the  policies  of  the  various  Powers 
who  hemmed  her  in  by  sea  or  land.  If  Turkey  is  to  be  called  to  account  for  massa- 
cres of  Christians,  ill-treatment  of  subject  races,  torturing  of  prisoners,  etc., 
then,  in  fairness,  Christendom  must  also  stand  at  the  bar  and  answer  an  indict- 
ment that  is  only  a  few  degrees  less  formidable.  We  may  observe  that  France 
seized  Egypt  from  Turkey  in  1798,  without  a  declaration  of  war.  Russia,  as  we 
have  seen,  invaded  Turkey,  also  without  declaring  war,  in  1806.  England  forced 
the  Dardenelles  in  1807  under  similar  conditions.  France,  moreover,  abandoned 
Turkey  at  the  peace  of  Tilsit  later  in  the  same  year.  We  may  ask  why,  if  the 
great  Christian  Powers  honestly  desired  to  see  the  birth  of  a  reformed  Turkey, 
they  did  not  encourage  (instead  of  distracting  with  continual  warfare  on  one 
pretext  or  another)  one  of  the  best-intentioned  Sultans  who  ever  mounted  the 
bloodstained  steps  of  the  Turkish  throne  ? 

»  Politique  Orieniale  de  Napoleon,  by  Edouard  Driault,  pp.  95-*^- 


206  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

Constantinople  seemed  to  be  at  the  mercy  of  the  British, 
and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  but  for  the  personaUty  of 
the  French  Ambassador,  the  incident  would  have  ended  in 
the  complete  triumph  of  England  and  Russia. 

Admiral  Duckworth's  iirst  communication  with  the  shore, 
dated  21st  February,  was  as  peremptory  as  his  orders  enjoined 
and  as  the  situation  seemed  to  justify.  He  demanded  the 
instant  dismissal  of  the  French  Ambassador,  free  passage  for 
Russian  ships  through  the  Bosphorus  and  Dardanelles,  the 
handing  over  of  the  Turkish  fleet  with  stores  and  equipment 
for  the  period  of  the  war,  and  the  surrender  of  the  forts  in  the 
Dardanelles.  He  pointed  out  that  he  had  abstained  from 
returning  the  fire  of  the  outer  forts,  though  "it  is  impossible 
for  the  Vice-Admiral  to  express  the  extent  of  his  chagrin 
when  he  saw  himself  attacked  the  day  before  yesterday  in  a 
hostile  manner  by  the  outermost  castles  of  the  Sublime  Porte, 
when  he  was  performing  the  duty  imposed  upon  him  of  passing 
the  Dardanelles."  He  goes  on  to  say  that  on  reaching  the 
inner  castles  he  saw  himself  compelled  to  answer  force  with 
force,  and  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  French  flag 
was  floating  above  the  Castle  of  Abydos.  He  states  that  he  is 
"  under  the  necessity  of  declaring  to  the  Sublime  Porte  that 
having  it  in  his  power  to  destroy  the  capital  and  all  the  Turkish 
vessels,"  he  will  proceed  to  extremities  unless  a  satisfactory 
answer  is  received,  though  he  "  will  feel  the  utmost  reluctance 
to  render  so  many  persons  completely  miserable  by  the  horrors 
of  war." 

Two  other  letters  to  the  same  effect  were  sent  ashore  that 
day.  Meanwhile,  at  Constantinople,  terror  still  held  sway. 
On  the  evening  of  the  previous  day,  while  the  British  fleet 
was  approaching,  the  Sultan,  completely  unnerved,  had  sent 
an  urgent  message  to  Sebastiani,  imploring  him  to  leave  the 
city.  He  protested  his  friendship  for  France,  but  excused 
his  action  by  his  necessity  and  the  unexampled  peril  in  which 
his  capital  lay.  He  also  said  that  the  people  blamed  Sebastiani 
for  the  war,  and  that  he  could  hardly  answer  for  the  latter's 
life. 

Although  Sebastiani  was  privately  making  hurried  prepara- 
tions for  departure,  burning  all  his  papers  with  such  haste 
that  his  marriage  contract  was  destroyed  among  them,  yet 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    207 

he  received  the  Sultan's  messenger  in  state,  surrounded  by 
all  his  officers  and  secretaries,  and  replied  haughtily  that  "  he 
was  at  Constantinople  by  the  command  of  his  Sovereign, 
and  that  he  should  only  quit  it  by  the  same  command,  unless  he 
were  driven  out  by  force."  At  the  same  time  he  aptly  pointed 
out  that  at  the  worst  Admiral  Duckworth  could  only  burn 
a  portion  of  the  city,  but  that  having  no  army  with  him  to 
conduct  land  operations  he  was  powerless  to  seize  the  capital, 
even  if  it  were  freely  opened  to  him.  "  I  beg  that  you  will 
tell  your  august  master,"  he  concluded,  "  that  I  await  with 
confidence  a  resolution  worthy  of  him  and  of  the  Empire  he 
governs."  ' 

The  courage  of  Sebastiani  was  infectious.  The  Sultan 
decided  on  resistance,  and  the  French  Ambassador  was 
called  upon  to  organise  the  defence  of  the  city.  Directed  by 
him,  young  and  old  threw  themselves  into  the  task  of  erecting 
batteries  and  mounting  cannon.  "  The  English  fleet  will 
burn  your  city,  you  say  ?  "  cried  Sebastiani,  "  Well,  you  will 
rebuild  it,  and  your  honour,  at  least,  will  have  remained  intact. 
.  .  .  Were  he  to  annihilate  your  glorious  capital,  how  could 
he  occupy  it  with  a  handful  of  men  ?  Your  aggressor  has 
against  that  chance  the  risks  of  fighting,  of  the  sea,  of  the 
winds  especially.  Let  those  fail  him,  not  only  he  could  not 
act,  but  he  would  remain  at  your  mercy.  Temporise  then, 
negotiate  slowly,  for  time  will  be  in  your  favour."  ' 

A  letter  from  Napoleon  arriving  at  this  juncture  still 
further  encouraged  the  Turks.  Insincere  negotiations  were 
at  once  opened  with  the  English,  who  were  led  to  believe  that 
the  Porte  was  inchned  to  accede  to  all  their  demands.  By 
this  means  precious  time  was  gained,  while  the  English 
messenger,  who  was  received  and  entertained  with  every 
courtesy,  found  himself  baffled  whenever  he  demanded  a 
categorical  answer  to  the  conditions  he  had  submitted. 

The  feverish  preparations  being  hurried  forward  on  shore 
were  not  unnoticed  by  the  English.  On  the  evening  of  2ist 
February,  in  a  letter  dated  midnight,  Mr.  Arbuthnot  remarks 
that  "as  it  has  been  discovered  by  glasses  that  the  time  granted 

'  Turkey  Old  and  New,  by  Sutherland  Menzies.  pp.  118-9.  W.  H.  Allen  &  Co., 
London.  1880. 

'  Ibid.,  p.  iig-120. 


208  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

to  the  Sublime  Porte  to  take  its  decision  is  employed  in  warping 
the  ships  of  war  into  places  more  susceptible  of  defence,  and 
in  constructing  batteries  along  the  coast,  Mr.  Arbuthnot  is 
obliged  to  apprise  M.  Isac  Bey  that  if  these  measures  of  defence 
do  not  immediately  cease,  the  British  ships  of  war  will  act 
in  the  manner  which  shall  be  judged  most  convenient.  .  .  . 
The  celerity  with  which  the  British  fleet  has  passed  the  Dar- 
danelles is  a  proof  that  the  determination  already  announced 
will  be  put  into  execution." 

Even  as  he  wrote  Mr.  Arbuthnot  may  have  felt  some  slight 
misgiving.  For  the  fact  was,  the  fleet  at  that  moment  was 
utterly  becalmed,  and  had  so  lain  all  day,  and  it  was  useless 
to  imagine  that  the  circumstance  had  passed  unnoticed  on 
shore.  No  one,  however,  could  imagine  that  these  conditions 
would  remain  unchanged  for  long,  and  the  Turks,  while 
spinning  out  the  negotiations,  busily  pushed  forwards  their 
preparations. 

On  the  following  day,  the  22nd — though  the  English 
Admiral  could  not  know  it — the  onlj^  chance  of  success  for 
the  expedition  was  thrown  away.  For  a  few  hours  that 
morning  the  wind  blew  from  the  south-east,  and  here  we 
reach  a  point  where  Admiral  Duckworth  and  Mr.  Arbuthnot 
vary  a  little  in  their  accounts  of  what  occurred.  Admiral 
Duckworth  writes  :  "On  Sunday  the  22nd  alone  for  a  few 
hours  the  breeze  was  sufficient  to  have  stemmed  the  current 
where  we  were  placed.  .  .  .  ;  but  the  peculiarly  unsettled 
state  of  the  weather,  and  the  Minister's  desire  that  I  should 
give  a  few  hours  for  an  answer  to  his  letter  through  Ysak 
Bey,  prevented  me  from,  trying  before  five  o'clock  p.m.  It 
was  nearly  calm,  and  in  the  evening  the  wind  was  entirely 
from  the  Eastward,  and  continued  light  airs  or  calm  till  the 
evening  of  the  28th,  when  it  blew  fresh  from  the  N.E.  and 
rendered  it  impossible  to  change  our  position."^ 

It  will  be  noticed  that  Mr.  Arbuthnot  is  made  at  least 
partly  responsible  for  the  delay,  and  James,  in  his  Naval 
History  of  Great  Britain,  has  taken  the  view  that  it  was  through 
listening  to  the  Ambassador's  advice  that  the  whole  scheme 
miscarried.      After    blaming    Admiral     Duckworth    for    not 

«  Admiral  Duckworth's  letter  to  Lord  Collingwood,  6th  March,  1807. — 
Papers  presented  to  Parliament,  1808. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    209 

advancing  when  he  had  the  chance,  he  goes  on  to  say  :  "  Sir 
John,  however,  thought  otherwise,  and  preferred  consulting 
the  Ambassador,  whose  pacific  disposition  he  must  by  this  time 
have  known.  The  British  squadron,  consequently,  remained 
at  anchor."  '  "  It  appears  the  fleet  would  have  got  under 
weigh,"  says  Lord  Brought  on,"  and  have  attempted  at  least 
to  work  up  to  join  the  Endymion,^  had  not  the  Ambassador 
desired  that  a  few  hours  might  be  given  for  an  answer  to  his 
letter."  It  is  only  fair  to  read  Mr.  Arbuthnot's  own  account 
of  the  affair  in  his  Autobiography,  written  many  years 
later  largely  with  a  view  of  clearing  his  own  memory.  After 
describing  the  events  of  the  19th  he  says  :  "  It  was  evening 
before  the  fighting  was  all  over.  I  went  to  bed  while  our 
Squadron  was  proceeding  with  a  fair  wind  up  to  the  Sea  of 
Marmora.  I  was  dressing  on  the  following  morning  when, 
by  the  motion  of  the  Royal  George,  on  board  of  which  I  was, 
I  perceived  that  she  was  laying  to.i  I  came  out  of  my  cabin 
to  enquire  the  cause. 

"  Sir  John  Duckworth  told  me  that  he  had  made  signal  for 
the  Captains  of  the  Line  of  Battle  Ships  to  come  on  board  that 
he  might  consult  them.  This  I  thought  a  needless  measure ; 
but,  however,  the  Admiral  had  called  them  and  they  came  on 
board. 

•  Naval  History  of  Great  Britain,  by  William  James,   1886,  vol.  iv.  p.  222. 
'  Travels  in  Albania  and  Other  Provinces  of  Turkey  in  1809  and  1810,  1855 
edition,  vol.  ii..  Appendix,  p.   509. 

3  The  only  vessel  which  had  approached  Constantinople,  having  been  sent 
forward  the  previous  day  with  a  flag  of  truce,  carrying  the  British  ultimatum. 

4  At  8.30  on  the  morning  of  the  20th,  Admiral  Duckworth  made  signal  for 
the  Flag  officers  and  captains  to  prepare  to  come  on  board  the  Royal  George.  At 
10  the  Squadron  hove  to,  and  they  came  on  board  with  their  reports,  from  which 
it  was  ascertained  that  the  number  of  killed  did  not  exceed  twelve,  and  the  wounded 
sixty-six.  At  midday  all  the  officers  returned  to  their  ships,  and  the  Squadron 
made  sail,  anchoring  off  Princes  Islands  at  ten  o'clock  that  evening.  A  nearer 
approach  was  rendered  impossible  by  adverse  winds  and  currents.  It  is  clear 
from  Mr.  Arbuthnot's  account  that  he  disapproved  of  the  unnecessary  delay  in 
the  Sea  of  Marmora,  leading  to  an  enforced  anchorage  eight  miles  from  the 
capital.  Once  negotiations  had  commenced,  however,  Mr.  Arbuthnot  seems 
to  have  opposed  advancing  the  fleet  to  a  better  strategic  position  (which 
would  have  been  possible  on  the  22nd),  believing  that  at  that  juncture  such 
a  move  would  have  been  fata!  to  the  object  he  had  in  view,  which  was  to 
induce  the  Turks,  by  his  moderate  counsels,  to  submit  to  the  British  terms, 
and  not  to  force  the  Admiral  to  proceed  to  extremities. — See  Captain  Blackwood's 
letter  to  Lord  Castlereagh  of  6th  March,  1807,  in  the  latter's  Correspondence, 
vol.  vi.  p.  164. 

14 


210  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

"  It  was  their  unanimous  opinion  that  before  proceeding 
to  further  hostilities  we  should  communicate  with  the  Turkish 
Government.  This  therefore  was  done.  But  the  loss  of  time, 
occasioned  by  laying  to  that  the  Captains  might  come  on 
board  the  Royal  George,  was  fatal  to  the  enterprise.  The  wind 
in  the  meantime  died  away.  That  wind  which  would  have 
carried  us  up  to  the  walls — to  the  then  undefended  walls  of 
Constantinople.  We  could  never  afterwards  approach  the 
town  nearer  than  eight  or  ten  miles.  .  .  ."  Later  on  Mr. 
Arbuthnot  returns  to  this  incident  and  writes  :  "  Lord  West- 
morland, then  L"  Burghersh,  and  a  very  young  man,  was 
on  board  the  Royal  George,  and  he  must  well  remember  the 
laying  to  of  the  ship  for  the  Captains  to  come  on  board.  .  .  . 
Admiral  Sir  Bladen  Capel  is  still  alive.  As  he  only  commanded 
the  Endymion  frigate  I  do  not  think  that  he  was  called  on 
board  ;  but  of  this  I  am  not  sure.  He  must,  however,  have 
the  same  recollection  that  Lord  Westmorland  has  of  all  the 
circumstances  that  I  have  stated.  .  .  ." 

"  Almost  immediately  afterwards,"  writes  Mr.  Arbuthnot, 
"  I  was  attacked  and  confined  to  my  bed  by  a  violent  Rheu- 
matic fever,  which  deprived  me  of  all  use  of  my  limbs  ;  and 
the  Surgeon  on  board  gave  me  up,  as,  in  his  opinion,  my 
case  was  hopeless.  Therefore  I  was  unable  to  give  any 
opinion  to  the  Admiral  ;  or  to  remonstrate  if  I  had 
thought  it  advisable,  if  indeed  remonstrance  could  have  had 
effect. 

"  This  I  declare  in  the  presence  of  Almighty  God,  before 
Whom  I  shall  have  hereafter  to  answer  for  every  word  I  have 
here  written,  is  the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and  nothing  but 
the  truth.  .  .   ." 

Admiral  Duckworth  mentions  Mr.  Arbuthnot's  illness  in 
his  letter  to  Lord  Collingwood  of  6th  March,  stating  that  two 
days  after  the  arrival  of  the  fleet  near  Constantinople,  the 
Ambassador  was  taken  ill  and  "  has  been  ever  since  confined 
with  a  fit  of  illness  so  severe  as  to  prevent  him  from  attending 
to  business."  This  disposes  of  James'  very  unfair  comment 
that  "  The  effect  of  mortified  pride  was  very  serious  upon  the 
ambassador ;  for  he  was  taken  sick  that  very  afternoon ' 
and  became  so  very  ill  upon  the  day  following,  that  the  admiral, 

'  The  22nd. — See  James's  Naval  History  of  Great  Britain,  vol.  iv.  p.  224. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    211 

whose  frame  was  formed  of  tougher  material,  had  the  whole 
burden  of  diplomacy  upon  himself." 

It  would  be  tedious  to  relate  every  event  of  the  few  days 
before  the  3rd  March,  when  the  fleet  repassed  the  Dardanelles. 
Admiral  Duckworth  continued  to  send  ultimatums  ashore. 
"  I  now  declare  to  you,"  he  writes  on  the  23rd,  "  that  no 
consideration  whatever  shall  induce  me  to  remain  at  a  distance 
from  your  Capital  a  single  moment  beyond  the  period  (next 
morning)  I  have  now  assigned.  ..."  In  this  letter  he  also 
complained  bitterly  that  the  Porte  was  making  preparations 
for  war,  the  Admiral  appearing  so  shocked  and  outraged  at 
this  circumstance  that  one  begins  to  suspect  him  of  lack  of 
humour  as  well  as,  perhaps,  of  more  important  qualities. 

The  Turks  now  proposed  a  conference,  and  much  time 
was  taken  up  in  a  discussion  as  to  where  it  should  be  held. 
On  the  24th  Admiral  Duckworth  remarks  :  "I  must  observe 
in  the  meantime  the  eight  new  embrasures  that  have  been 
suddenly  opened  in  the  walls  of  the  Seraglio,  and  this  is  another 
proof  of  a  hostile  disposition,"  etc. 

On  25th  February  the  Admiral  refers  to  his  own  "  unex- 
ampled moderation  " — a  moderation  that  the  Turks  might 
suspect  to  be  imposed  upon  him  as  much  by  the  weather 
conditions  as  by  his  own  humanity. 

On  the  26th  negotiations  with  regard  to  the  conference 
were  still  going  on. 

By  the  27th  the  position  of  the  British  fleet  began  to  be 
not  only  ludicrous  and  humiliating,  but  extremely  critical. 
The  land  defences  and  the  forts  in  the  Dardanelles  were  already 
immensely  strengthened,  and  it  was  becoming  a  question, 
not  of  bombarding  Constantinople,  but  of  extricating  the 
squadron  from  an  almost  desperate  position.  The  wind 
blew  steadily  from  the  north-east,  and  we  cannot  but  notice 
a  change  of  tone  in  the  Admiral's  epistolary  style.'  He  now 
at  the  close  of  a  letter,  "  assures  the  Sublime  Porte  of  his 
high  consideration."  Ultimatums  and  demands  for  the 
surrender  of  the  Turkish  fleet  have  quite  dropped  out  of  the 
correspondence. 

'  These  letters  were  published  in  The  Times  of  ist  May,  1807,  having 
appeared  in  French  in  the  Moniteur  of  the  19th  April,  from  which  they  are 
translated. 


212  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

In  his  last  letter,  dated  28th  February,  he  "  assures  the 
Sublime  Porte  of  his  distinguished  consideration." 

On  the  morning  of  the  following  day,  ist  March,  Admiral 
Duckworth,  reaUzing  that  a  longer  stay  meant  the  complete 
loss  of  the  squadron,  weighed  anchor  and  proceeded  south- 
wards. Reaching  the  Straits  at  dusk,  on  the  evening  of  the 
2nd,  when  it  was  too  dark  to  attempt  to  force  them,  he  took 
up  his  position  off  Point  Pesquies,  and  waited  until  the  follow- 
ing morning.  Early  on  the  3rd  the  squadron  proceeded  on  its 
way,  being  hotly  saluted  by  the  Castle  guns,  whose  heavy 
granite  balls  fell  on  and  around  the  British  ships.  The  fire 
was  far  more  severe  than  any  they  had  received  on  the  first 
passage  of  the  Straits,  and  the  losses  in  casualties  were  con- 
sidered very  heavy.  The  squadron,  however,  got  through  with- 
out the  loss  of  a  ship,  though  several  were  severely  damaged. 
"  The  Turks  had  been  occupied  unceasingly  in  adding  to  the 
number  of  their  forts  ;  some  had  been  already  completed,  and 
others  were  in  a  forward  state,"  writes  Admiral  Duckworth. 
"  The  fire  of  the  two  inner  Castles  had  in  our  going  up  been 
severe,  but  I  am  sorry  to  say  the  effects  they  have  had  on  our 
ships  returning  has  proved  them  to  be  doubly  formidable. 
In  short,  had  they  been  allowed  another  week  to  complete 
their  defences  throughout  the  channel,  it  would  have  been  a 
very  doubtful  point  whether  a  return  lay  open  to  us  at  all." 

A  formidable  list  of  casualties  had  to  be  counted  after  the 
terrible  passage  through  the  Straits,  and  M.  Driault  states 
that  the  British  losses  would  have  been  far  heavier  if  the 
Turks  had  had  time  to  fortify  the  Asiatic  coast,  and  if  their 
cannon  had  not  been  immobile  and  obliged  to  wait  for  the 
passage  of  each  ship  before  firing. 

"  We  repassed  the  Dardanelles  yesterday,"  writes  Captain 
Blackwood,  "  having  succeeded,  I  may  confidently  assert, 
in  no  one  object  but  that  of  convincing  the  Turks  a  British 
Squadron  could  force  the  passage  ;  by  which  they  have  so 
entirely  found  out  their  weak  points  of  defence,  that  I  am 
inclined  to  think  no  other  squadron  will  ever  effect  the  same 
again.  .  .  .' 

'  Letter  from  the  Hon.  Henry  Blackwood  to  Lord  Castlereagh,  6th  March 
1807. — Correspondence,  Despatches  and  other  Papers  of  Viscount  Castlereagh,  edited 
by  his  brother,  Charles,  Marquess  of  Londonderry,  vol.  vi.  p.  161. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    213 

"  To  effect  anything  against  Constantinople,  the  possession 
of  the  Dardanelles  becomes  absolutely  necessary.  We  have 
therefore  failed,  and  lost  many  gallant  officers  and  men.  How 
Government  will  receive  the  news  remains  yet  to  be  seen, 
but  as  the  measure  was  a  child  of  their  own,  I  conclude  they 
will  give  it  an  air  of  victory  from  our  having  destroyed  nine 
sail  of  men-of-war  commanded  in  person  by  the  Pacha,"  etc. 

In  England,  the  first  news  of  the  forcing  of  the  Dardanelles 
was  received  with  transports  of  joy  and  triumph,  being  hailed 
as  a  victory  equal  to  Trafalgar  or  Copenhagen.  Enlighten- 
ment came  later,  with  a  growing  crescendo  of  anger,  mortifica- 
tion and  dismay,  as  the  first  unfavourable  rumours  filtered 
into  the  London  press  through  the  French  and  German  news- 
papers.    The  latter  were  then  under  French  influence. 

The  Times  of  20th  April  expressed  anxiety  over  statements 
in  the  Hamburg  papers  that  the  British  fleet  had  withdrawn 
from  Constantinople,  but  pointed  out  that  these  papers  were 
under  French  control  and  could  not  be  relied  upon. 

On  22nd  April  The  Times  continued  to  be  uneasy  at  the 
news,  but  remarked,  "  We  have  still  some  reasons  to  doubt 
it,  .  .  ."  and  declared  that  it  was  due  to  the  high  professional 
character  of  Admiral  Duckworth  to  believe  that  he  would  not 
have  thrown  out  a  threat  which  he  had  not  the  means  and 
authority  to  execute. 

By  the  28th  The  Times  is  "  extremely  anxious  for  the 
arrival  of  despatches  from  Admiral  Duckworth.  The  supposed 
failure  of  his  expedition  to  Constantinople  has  produced  a  great 
sensation  in  the  public  mind.  .  .  Admiral  Duckworth  was 
perfectly  aware  of  the  mischievous  consequences  of  delay. 
The  business  was  to  be  done  instanter  or  not  at  all." 

On  the  29th  The  Times  still  doubts  whether  Admiral 
Duckworth  can  have  repassed  the  Dardanelles. 

On  the  6th  May  all  doubts  vanished  with  the  pubUcation 
of  Admiral  Duckworth's  report,  sent  from  Cadiz  by  Lord 
Collingwood,  and  no  further  optimism  was  possible.  The 
expedition  was  recognized  to  have  been  an  utter  failure. 
The  Times  appears  much  exasperated  by  Admiral  Duckworth's 
letters  to  the  Porte,  which  had  been  published  in  full  in  the 
Moniteur.  It  remarks  that  "  he  certainly  appears  to  much 
greater  advantage  as  the  Commander  of  a  Fleet  of  British 


214  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

men-of-war  than  he  does  in  his  character  of  Negotiator  and 
Diplomatist."  It  speaks  of  "  swaggering  and  bullying  and 
threatening  the  Porte  with  a  vengeance  the  means  of  inflicting 
which  was  totally  out  of  his  power.  ...  To  continue  bullying 
and  threatening  for  three  days,  at  three  leagues  distance, 
without  any  possibihty  of  approaching  nearer,  was  a  waste 
of  time  and,  what  is  worse,  a  waste  of  the  spirit  and  reputation 
of  our  navy."  The  Times  rather  unkindly  suggests  that  the 
letters  were  inspired  by  Mr.  Arbuthnot  and  his  secretaries, 
their  style  not  being  held  to  be  "  such  as  we  should  expect 
from  a  British  Seaman." 

William  James  says  :  "  "  That  there  should  have  been 
no  investigation  of  the  causes  that  led  to  so  palpable  a  defeat 
as  the  one  we  have  just  done  relating  may  appear  extraordinary. 
An  enquiry  was  undoubtedly  in  contemplation,  but  two  or 
three  circumstances  conspired  to  prevent  it  from  being  pro- 
secuted." On  the  20th  May,  1808,  "  the  House  was  called 
upon  to  pass  a  vote  of  censure  upon  the  planners  of  the  expedi- 
tion, the  members  of  the  late  administration."  This,  however, 
was  lost,  and  no  more  seems  to  have  been  heard  of  the  matter, 
though  years  later  it  appears  that  Mr.  Arbuthnot  was  attacked 
in  the  House  of  Commons  for  his  share  in  the  business,  and  it 
is  clear  that  he  felt  the  aspersions  made  on  him  very  acutely. 

"  The  late  Lord  Grey,"  he  writes  in  his  Autobiography, 
"  was  first  Lord  of  the  Admiralty  when  Sir  John  Duckworth 
was  ordered  to  proceed  to  the  Dardanelles. 

"  On  my  return  to  England  I  saw  him  frequently.  Nothing 
could  be  more  cordial  or  more  friendly  than  his  communications 
with  me.  He  expressed  his  regret  to  me  that  he  had  not 
ordered  Lord  CoUingwood  up  instead  of  deputing  an  inferior 
officer. 

"  I  mention  this  because  the  whole  blame  of  the  failure 
has  been  imputed  to  me  in  the  House  of  Commons  by  Admiral 
Sir  Charles  Napier.  I  had  long  before  left  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, and  my  public  life  was  over.  I  did  however  think  of 
rebutting  the  ungenerous  and  most  cruelly  unjust  accusation. 
But  I  refrained.  On  consideration,  I  could  not  but  be  aware 
that  for  thfe  first  time  to  enter  into  a  controversy  on  a  subject 
on  which  I  had  of  my  own  accord  ever  been  silent  (the  more 

'  Vol.  iv.  p.   231. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    215 

painful  and  embarrassing  as  almost  all  who  had  been  present 
were  dead)  would  be  ill  received  by  the  PubHc,  as  all  its  interests 
had  long  since  been  forgotten  ;  and  as  nothing  ever  does 
satisfy  the  Public  but  success,  which  in  this  instance  had  not 
been  the  case,  but  on  the  contrary,  entire  failure." 

The  incident  of  the  forcing  of  the  Dardanelles  has  been 
dealt  with  at  very  great  length,  partly  owing  to  the  fact  that 
recent  events  have  given  a  tragic  interest  to  that  part  of  the 
world.  In  passing  from  it,  and  even  though,  at  the  time  of 
writing,  this  country  finds  itself  again  at  war  with  Turkey,'  we 
may,  perhaps,  all  feel  inclined  to  agree  with  Lord  Broughton's 
closing  comment  on  the  affair^:  "  With  the  persuasion  that 
a  more  decisive  menace  would,  on  the  appearance  of  the  fleet, 
without  any  hostility,  have  effected  the  purposes  of  the  expedi- 
tion, we  may  feel  many  regrets  that  other  measures  had  not 
produced  a  different  termination  of  the  affair  ;  but  as  the  war 
was  not  prevented,  we  cannot  surely  lament  that  we  did  not, 
by  the  rapid  conflagration  of  a  wooden  city,  cause  the  certain 
destruction  of  an  immense  defenceless  population,  and  the 
massacre  of  all  the  Christian  subjects  in  the  capital,  which 
was  expected  and  threatened  at  the  time,  and  which  the  power 
of  the  Grand  Signior,  in  opposition  to  a  multitude  of  armed 
fanatics,   might  have  been  unable  to  prevent." 

It  is  of  course,  impossible  to  treat  the  concluding  part  of 
Mr.  Arbuthnot's  Ufe  in  the  same  detail  as  that  which  has  been 
devoted  to  this  incident.  He  was  behind  the  scenes  in  all 
the  important  political  events  of  the  early  nineteenth  century, 
trusted  and  confided  in  by  all  the  greatest  men  of  the  day, 
but  never  taking  a  very  prominent  or  brilhant  part  in  pubhc 
events  himself. 

On  his  return  to  England,  in  1807,  a  pension  of  ^^2,000  a 
year  was  granted  to  him.  He  now  definitely  abandoned  the 
Diplomatic  Service,  and  devoted  himself  to  home  politics.  In 
1809  he  became  one  of  the  joint  Secretaries  of  the  Treasury, 
and  on  31st  January,  1814,  he  married  his  second  wife,  Harriet, 
daughter  of  the  Hon.  Henry  Fane  of  Fulbeck,  Lincolnshire 
(second  son  of  Thomas,  eighth  Earl  of  Westmorland),  by  whom 
he  had  no  issue,  but  who  is  celebrated  in  the  memoirs  of  the 

'  The  above  was  written  in  the  early  part  of  1918. 

'   Travels,  vol.  ii.,  Appendix,  p.  515. 


216  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

period  as  the  intimate  friend  and  confidante  of  the  Duke  of 
WelUngton. 

It  was  only  a  few  months  after  his  second  marriage  that 
Charles  Arbuthnot  found  himself  with  his  beautiful  and  attractive 
wife  in  the  gay  French  capital.  It  is  here  that  Mrs.  Arbuthnot 
is  believed  to  have  met  for  the  first  time  the  hero  of  the  age, 
with  whom  she  was  distantly  connected,  through  the  marriage 
of  her  cousin.  Lord  Westmorland,  with  the  Duke's  niece.  Lady 
Priscilla  Wellesley-Pole.' 

At  this  time  Welhngton  was  Uving  in  Paris,  occupying  the 
post  of  British  Ambassador — a  somewhat  strange  appointment, 
for  even  Royalist  France  could  not  quite  forgive  the  victories  of 
the  Peninsular  War,  and  Wellington  was  consequently  not  very 
popular  in  his  novel  capacity.  The  Duchess  of  Wellington  was 
certainly  with  him  in  Paris  during  this  brief  sojourn — only  five 
months — but  very  little  has  been  written  of  their  fife  at  this  time, 
and  it  is  impossible  to  say  whether  Mrs.  Arbuthnot  obtained  at 
once,  or  at  a  later  date,  the  complete  ascendancy  she  afterwards 
wielded  over  Welhngton.  Concerning  the  Duke's  friendship 
with  Mrs.  Arbuthnot,  much  ill-natured  comment  was  made,  both 
at  the  time  and  later.  The  Ufelong  friendship  of  Wellington  for 
Mr.  Charles  Arbuthnot  will  probably  be  considered  a  simple  and 
sufficient  refutation  of  anything  in  the  nature  of  slander,  but  as  to 
whether  this  much-discussed  friendship  was  calculated  to  add 
much  to  the  peace  of  mind  of  the  Duchess  of  Wellington,  that 
is  a  totally  different  question.  The  silence  in  which  W^elUngton's 
domestic  life  is  shrouded  has  remained  almost  unbroken  during 
the  last  half  century.  The  veil  has,  however,  been  very  sensibly 
lifted  by  the  pubUcation  of  the  Diary  of  Frances,  Lady  Shelley,'' 
in  which  many  details  are  recorded  by  one  who  was  on  terms  of 
friendship  with  both  master  and  mistress  in  that  divided  house- 
hold. From  Lady  Shelley's  account,  one  gathers  that  at  first 
Wellington  and  his  wife  were  not  unhappy.  They  lived  for  a 
time  in  Harley  Street,  and  during  his  absence  in  Spain  Lady 

1  Daughter  of  William,  third  Earl  of  Mornington,  who,  in  1778,  assumed  the 
surname  of  Pole  in  addition  to  that  of  Wellesley,  on  succeeding  to  some  property 
in  Queen's  County. 

2  Edited  by  her  grandson,  Mr.  Richard  Edgcumbe.  My  readers  must  refer 
to  this  deeply  interesting  book  for  many  details  regarding  Mrs.  Arbuthnot,  the 
Duke  and  Duchess  of  Wellington,  and  others  of  Lady  Shelley's  contemporaries, 
all  sketched  by  a  hand  that  united  undeviating  truth  with  uniform  kindness. 


Harriet   Fane,  second   wife  of   tfie    Righl    Ho 
From  an  cngravmg  by  W.  Ciller  after  Sir  =i 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  217 

Wellesley  and  her  two  boys  became  objects  of  great  interest 
with  the  general  public,  being  loudly  cheered  when  they  drove 
to  the  Horse  Guards  to  hear  the  latest  news  from  the  theatre 
of  war.' 

Wellington's  marvellous  generalship  during  the  Peninsular  War 
brought  this  difficult  campaign  to  a  victorious  end  in  1814.  He 
returned  to  England  to  find  himself  a  national  hero,  and  the 
object  of  popular  adoration.  Then  followed  the  brief  appoint- 
ment as  Ambassador  to  France,  and  the  first  meeting  in  Paris 
with  Mrs.  Arbuthnot. 

In  18 14  the  Duchess  of  WeUington  seems  to  have  shared  her 
husband's  interests,  presiding  over  the  Embassy  in  Paris,  where 
the  only  incident  we  hear  of  is  a  little  passage  of  arms  between  her 
and  the  celebrated  Madame  de  Stael,  in  which  the  Duchess 
acted  with  great  circumspection.  After  a  gap  of  years  we  find 
an  extraordinary  change.  By  1820  Mrs.  Arbuthnot  writes  of 
the  Duke  playfully  as  "  my  legitimate  property."'  The  Duchess 
— the  rather  pathetic  "  Kitty  Pakenham  "  of  Miss  Edgeworth's 
letters — seems  to  have  suffered  a  complete  eclipse.  We  find 
she  has  withdrawn  herself  from  the  world,  treating  the  brilUant 
society  that  assembles  at  Strathfieldsaye  rather  pointedly  as 
visitors  to  her  husband  and  not  to  herself.3  WeUington  rarely 
speaks  to  her.  When  he  does.  Lady  Shelley  says  he  has  reason 
to  regret  it.  "  The  Duke  is  a  very  hard  man,"  says  Greville, 
"  he  takes  no  notice  of  any  of  his  family  ;  he  never  sees  his  mother, 
and  has  only  visited  her  two  or  three  times  in  the  last  few  years  ; 
and  has  not  now  been  to  see  Lady  Anne,*  though  she  has  been  in 
such  affliction  for  the  death  of  her  only  son,  and  he  passes  her  door 
every  time  he  goes  to  Strathfieldsaye." 

The  poor  Duchess  is  said  to  have  been  terrified  of  her  stern 
husband,  and  many  a  time  to  have  shpped  down  the  back 
staircase  at  Apsley  House,  rather  than  meet  him  as  he  came  up. 
As  far  as  possible,  Wellington  made  his  home  with  the  Arbuthnots. 
"  You  may  depend  upon  it,"  writes  Mrs.  Arbuthnot  to  Lady 
Shelley  in  an  undated  letter,  beheved  to  be  of  1827,'  (written 

»  See  Diary  of  Frances,  Lady  Shelley,  vol.  ii.   p.   407. 
'  Ibid.,  vol.  ii.  p.   104. 
3  Ibid.,  vol.  ii.  p.   312. 

*  Wellington's  sister,  Lady  Anne  Wellesley,  then  married  to  her  second 
husband,  Mr.  Charles  Culling  Smith  of  Hampton. 

J  See  Diary  of  Frances,  Lady  Shelley,  vol.  ii.  p.   158. 


218  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

from  Strathfieldsaj^e) ,  "  I  shall  always  be  too  happy  to  make  my 
fireside  agreeable  to  him.  ...  I  have  too  much  good  taste  not 
to  prefer  him,  anyhow  or  at  any  age,  to  any  other  friend ;  and 
you  need  not  be  the  least  afraid  of  my  ever  changing  in  that 
respect.  I  flatter  myself,  too,  that  he  will  not  change  ;  so  that 
I  am  never  made  jealous  even  when  you  tell  me  to  take  care.  .  .  . 
The  poor  Duchess  is  as  foolish  as  ever,  if  not  more  so,  and  provokes 
me  to  a  degree !  I  am  sorry  for  her  too ;  and  still  more  so  for 
him,  for  every  year  he  must  suffer  more  and  more  from  it,"  etc. 

Lady  Shelley  relates  that  when  guests  were  invited  to  Strath- 
fieldsaye,  they  went  on  the  Duke's  invitation,  and  he  made  a 
practice  of  supplying  his  wife  with  a  written  list  of  their  names, 
accompanied  by  directions  as  to  which  rooms  they  were  to  occupy. 
The  Duchess  was  aggrieved  at  this,  but  Lady  Shelley  was  of 
opinion  that  she  had  by  her  own  attitude  invited  this  treatment. 

Wellington  was  a  stern  father  to  his  sons,  Lord  Douro  seeming 
specially  to  irritate  him.  Both  sons  were  devoted  to  their 
mother.  She  was  often  with  them  on  their  fishing  expeditions,  it 
seems,  carrjdng  their  tackle  and  other  odds  and  ends — a  pro- 
ceeding that  seemed  to  one  contemporar}^  to  lack  dignity.  How- 
ever undignified,  these  little  expeditions  were  probably  the  bright 
spots  in  Kitty  Pakenham's  sad,  lonely  life.  One  is  glad  she  had 
the  affection  of  her  boys.  Her  charming  side  was  seldom  seen 
— reserved  for  a  few  friends  like  Miss  Edge  worth,  who  has  left 
us  some  glimpses  of  her  friend  which  do  not  altogether  suggest 
the  inane  and  colourless  nonentity  some  writers  have  depicted. 
Her  tastes  were  simple,  and  she  never  forgot  her  early  days  in 
Ireland.  One  St.  Patrick's  day  Miss  Edgeworth  went  to  Apsley 
House,  where  the  Duchess,  greeting  her  affectionately,  fastened 
a  bunch  of  shamrocks  into  her  dress  with  the  words  :  "  Vous  en 
etes  digne !  "  She  had  no  ambition,  and  she  fretted  and  pined 
in  the  brilliant  and,  to  her,  unsympathetic  atmosphere  in  which 
she  was  forced  to  move.  Is  it  altogether  a  fancy,  or  could  that 
brilliant  world  never  quite  forgive  her  the  position  she  occupied 
and  cared  nothing  for — the  empty  honours  from  which  the 
sweetness  had  long   ago   been   extracted  ? 

Mrs.  Arbuthnot  was  a  very  beautiful  and  attractive  woman, 
and  various  contemporaries  agree  that  she  was  extremely  discreet 
and  trustworthy.  "  She  was  not  a  clever  woman,"  writes 
Greville,  "  but  she  was  neither  dull  nor  deficient  and  very  prudent 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  219 

and  silent."  Her  husband  and  Lord  Castlereagh  were  accus- 
tomed to  talk  in  her  presence  of  the  most  important  and  far- 
reaching  secrets  of  state,  and  Wellington  gave  her  his  complete 
confidence.  Over  him  Mrs.  Arbuthnot  maintained  her  dominant 
influence  to  the  day  of  her  death.  It  was  generally  conceded 
in  society  that  the  Duke  was  her  special  property,  and  with 
regard  to  him,  Mr.  Gleig  took  it  for  granted  that  Mrs.  Arbuthnot, 
if  anyone,  had  a  right  to  be  jealous.  According  to  him,  she  was 
not  disturbed  by  the  Duke's  lady  admirers,  but  was  "  obviously 
jealous "  of  his  men  friends.  Her  friendship  being  purely 
intellectual,  she  regarded  men  as  her  rivals,  and  Mr.  Gleig 
relates  an  amusing  conversation  with  her,  in  which  she  did 
her  best  to  extract  from  him  what  had  passed  in  an  inter- 
view he  had  had  with  Welhngton.  He  did  not  satisfy  her 
curiosity,  and  the  httle  contest  ended  in  laughter  on  both 
sides.' 

In  November,  1827,  Mrs.  Arbuthnot,  with  her  husband,  paid 
a  visit  to  Strathfieldsaye,  where  they  found  a  pleasant  and  con- 
genial party  assembled  ;  they  outstayed  the  party  and  spent  a 
day  or  two  alone  with  Wellington  (the  Duchess  lying  ill  upstairs 
at  the  time),  and  left  in  his  company  for  Hatfield  afterwards. 
Writing  from  Strathfieldsaye,  Mrs.  Arbuthnot  thus  describes  the 
party  in  her  usual  vivacious  style :  "  My  favourite.  Sir  H. 
Harding,  was  here,  and  I  was  received  a  bras  ouverts  by  every- 
body ;  so  of  course  I  thought  it  all  charming.  But  still  I  was 
not  very  dull  when  they  were  all  gone,  for  the  Duchess  is  ill  in 
her  room,  and  except  for  an  hour  that  I  bore  with  her,  I  can  sit  in 
the  library ;  and  he  comes  and  writes  and  talks  as  he  did  at 
Maresfield,  which  he  won't  do  when  anybody  is  in  the  house." 
A  propos  of  the  fact  that  the  Jerseys  arrived  a  day  or  two  before 
her,  she  asks  :  "Don't  you  think  I  was  very  forbearing  or  very 
rash  to  let  Lady  Jersey  have  champ  libre  for  two  whole  days  P 
For  my  part,  I  think  it  the  handsomest  thing  that  was  ever  done. 
We  stay  here  till  Wednesday,  and  then  go  to  Hatfield  with  the 
Absorbant,"  etc.'-  Mrs.  Arbuthnot's  letters  are  racy,  amusing 
and  filled  with  the  society  chat  of  the  period,  but  behind  it  all 
one  is  conscious  of  the  pathetic  figure  of  "  Kitty  Pakenham," 

'  See  Personal  Reminiscences  of  the  First  Duke  of  Wellington,  by  G.  R.  Gleig, 
p.   207-8. 

'  Diary  of  Frances,  Lady  Shelley,  vol.  ii.  p.   i68. 


220  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

looking  on  while  her  hero  was  monopolized  and  taken  from  her. 
She  was  not  a  clever  woman — perhaps  it  is  accurate  to  say  that 
she  was  a  stupid  one — and  no  match  for  the  fashionable  beauties 
who  surrounded  her  husband.' 

In  the  recently  published  and  most  interesting  Reminis- 
cences of  the  First  Duke  of  Wellington,  by  Mr.  G.  R.  Gleig/  a  new 
explanation  of  the  estrangement  between  the  Duke  and  Duchess 
of  Wellington  is  given.  It  is  stated  that  on  Wellington's  return 
from  India  in  1805,  when,  as  is  well  known,  he  renewed  the 
offer  of  marriage  to  Miss  Pakenham  that  had  been  decUned  years 
before,  she  was  already  betrothed  to  another  man,  but  broke  off 
this  engagement  in  order  to  marry  the  hero  of  the  hour  ;  that 
this  fact  was  afterwards  imparted  to  Wellington,  perhaps  through 
no  very  friendly  channel,  and  that  he  never  forgave  Ms  wife  what 
he  considered  a  grave  breach  of  honour.  This  accusation  seems 
to  be  a  new  one.  It  does  not  appear  in  Lady  Shelley's  Diary, 
where  she  goes  very  fully  into  the  causes  of  the  mal-entendu 
in  the  WeUington  household,  and  we  think  she  would  have  been 
likel}^  to  give  prominence  to  a  fact  that  might  be  held  to  justify 
Wellington's  animus  against  his  wife,  who,  as  Greville  says, 
"  was  intolerable  to  him."  But  Mr.  Gleig  was  in  a  position  to  be 
well  informed.  Was  this  accusation  true,  or  was  it  a  spiteful 
on  dit  current  in  what  Lady  Shelley  herself  calls  "  that  cold 
English  society  "  ? — and  none  knew  it  better  than  she,  who  was 
for  so  long  one  of  its  queens.3  True  or  false,  one  thing  may  be 
said  with  absolute  certainty.  Katharine  Pakenham  did  not 
marry  Arthur  Wellesley  for  ambition.  She  worshipped  him, 
— too  openly,  perhaps,  and  with  a  complete  absence  of  judgment 
and  tact.  The  Duchess  was  shy,  too — a  terrible  crime,  and 
showed  a  lamentable  lack  of  savoir  faire  in  her  management  of  an 
almost  intolerable  situation.     As  we  have  said,  she  was  not  a 

•  Mr.  Gleig  notices  a  strange  trait  in  Wellington,  that  "  after  he  became  a 
politician  "  he  never  seemed  to  wish  to  see  his  old  companions  in  arms,  and  that 
Lord  Hill  and  Lord  Raglan  and  others  appear  never  to  have  been  invited  to  Strath- 
fieldsaye.  "  The  circle  in  which  he  chiefly  moved  was  that  of  fashionable  ladies 
and  gentlemen,  who  pressed  themselves  upon  him  and  were  flattered,  as  indeed 
they  had  much  reason  to  be,  with  the  notice  he  took  of  them,  and  by  his  presence 
at  their  parties,"  etc. — See  Life  of  Arthur,  Duke  of  WeUington,  by  G.  R.  Gleig, 
vol.  iv.  p.  149.     Longmans,  Green,  Longmans  and  Roberts,   i860. 

2  Edited  by  Mary  E.  Gleig,   1904. 

>  See  Lady  Shelley's  letter  of  sympathy  to  Wellington  in  1834,  on  hearing 
of  Mrs.  Arbuthnot's  death. — Diary  of  Frances,  Lady  Shelley,  vol.  ii.  p.  252. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  221 

clever  woman,  and  perhaps  had  no  one  to  recommend  to  her  a 
more  judicious  hne  of  conduct. 

On  1st  July,  1828,  Mrs.  Arbuthnot  writes  : 

"  I  have  been  passing  a  fortnight  at  Strathfieldsaye,  very 
agreeably.  .  .  .  We  had  an  immense  party,  .  .  .  but  the  two 
last  days  we  were  en  trio  with  him,  which  I  enjoyed  very  much."  ' 

A  few  days  later,  having  returned  to  London,  she  writes  : 

"  The  Duchess  goes  out  of  town  to-day,  and  we  dine  with  him 
in  the  old  comfortable  way  downstairs,  only  ourselves."  • 

In  the  same  letter  Mrs.  Arbuthnot  describes  some  unwelcome 
attentions  she  had  received  from  the  Duke  of  Cambridge,  who, 
finding  himself  alone  with  her  one  evening  at  Lord  Chesterfield's, 
behaved  and  spoke  in  a  manner  "  quite  incredible."  "I  at 
last  got  quite  alarmed,  he  was  so  astonishingly  impudent ; 
so  I  got  up,  and  said  I  could  not  stay  and  listen  to  him  any 
longer.  He  only  laughed,  and  he  tried  to  begin  again  at  the 
Duke's,  so  I  begged  him  to  go  and  talk  to  the  Duchess,  which 
made  him  laugh  till  he  was  almost  in  a  fit !  I  am  writing  you 
amazing  nonsense,  but  perhaps  it  will  make  you  laugh  too." ' 

The  question  of  Catholic  Emancipation  came  to  the  fore  in 
1829,  and  is  reflected  in  Mrs  Arbuthnot's  letters.  "  We  think  of 
nothing  here  but  this  Catholic  question,"  she  writes  ;  "  the  opinion 
of  the  red-hot  Protestants  is  that  we  shaU  fail.  I,  however, 
give  the  Duke  too  much  credit  for  good  generalship  to  have  any 
fears,  and  if  he  does  succeed,  he  will  have  consummated  his 
glory."  ..."  I  am  getting  tired  of  the  everlasting  subject." 
..."  Mr.  Arbuthnot  is  not  well ;  he  has  a  bad  cold,  but  I 
hope  and  trust  he  will  be  able  to  go  to  the  House  to-morrow.  I 
have  been  taking  him  out  airing,  which  is  always  a  sleepy  thing 
to  do,  so  if  I  am  very  stupid,  you  must  forgive  it."  ..."  I  am 
sick  of  politics,"  etc" 

In  1829  Wellington  had  startled  the  Tory  world  by  receding 
from  his  former  unbending  attitude  towards  Catholic  Emanci- 
pation, and,  supported  by  Peel,  he  introduced  a  bill  to  remove 
the  disabilities  under  which  the  Roman  Catholic  subjects  of 

I  Diary  of  Frances,  Lady  Shelley,  vol.  ii.  p.  176. 
>  Ibid.,  p.  177. 

3  Ibid.,  vol.  ii.  p.   177. 

4  Ibid.,  vol.  ii.  pp.   191-2-3. 


222  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

the  Crown  then  laboured.  This  act  of  his  raised  a  storm  of 
indignation  against  him. 

Lord  Winchilsea  was  ill-advised  enough  to  pubhsh  in  the 
press  a  violent  attack  on  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  whom  he 
accused  of  "  insidious  designs  for  the  infringement  of  our  Uberties 
and  the  introduction  of  popery  into  every  department  of  the 
state."  Welhngton  instantly  demanded  an  apology  and  with- 
drawal, but  neither  could  be  obtained  from  Lord  Winchilsea. 
In  accordance  with  the  ideas  of  the  time,  a  meeting  was  at  once 
arranged,  and  took  place  on  the  21st  March,  1829,  at  Wimbledon. 
The  Duke  fired  wide,  and  Lord  Winchilsea  discharged  his  pistol 
in  the  air,  instantly  afterwards  proffering,  through  his  second,  a 
full  apology,  which  he  found  himself  in  a  position  to  offer,  "  having 
received  the  Duke's  fire." 

Mrs.  Arbuthnot  knew  nothing  of  the  duel  till  it  was  over, 
when  Welhngton,  walking  in  when  she  was  at  breakfast,  gave 
her  the  astonishing  news  in  the  words  :  "  Well,  what  do  you 
think  of  a  gentleman  who  has  been  fighting  a  duel  ?  "  "I  am 
very  glad  I  had  no  suspicion,"  writes  Mrs.  Arbuthnot  to  Lady 
Shelley,  "for  I  should  have  died  of  fright."  " 

On  15th  September,  1830,  Mrs.  Arbuthnot  was  with  Welling- 
ton when  Mr.  Huskisson  was  killed  within  a  few  paces  of  them,' 
at  the  opening  of  the  Liverpool  and  Manchester  Railway.  She 
writes  :"....  You  know  I  went  on  that  luckless  expedition  to 
Liverpool  and  witnessed  poor  Mr.  Huskisson's  frightful  accident. 
He  had  been  talking  to  the  Duke  and  me  the  veyy  instant  before. 
There  is  no  need  to  write  about  it,  for  the  newspapers  told  every- 
thing, and  no  writing  could  give  a  notion  of  the  horror  of  the 
scene.  There  never  was  anything  so  unfortunate,  for  it  was  a 
mere  accident,  and  the  least  presence  of  mind  would  have 
placed  him  in  safety.  If  it  had  not  been  for  this  misfortune, 
our  whole  expedition  would  have  been  the  most  deUghtful 
possible,"  etc. 3 

The  debates  on  Parliamentary  Reform  came  on  in  1830. 
The  public  excitement  was  intense.  As  is  well  known,  Wellington 
strongly  and  sternly  opposed  Reform,  and  became  exceedingly 
unpopular  during  this  period. 

'  Diary  of  Frances,  Lady  Shelley,  vol.  ii.  p.   i88. 

'  For  a  reference  to  this  catastrophe,  see  p.  470,  note. 

3  Diary  of  Frances,  Lady  Shelley,  vol.  ii.  p.  202. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    223 

On  gth  November,  1830,  Greville  writes  as  follows : 

"  Yesterday  morning  I  sallied  forth  and  called  on  Arbuthnot, 
whom  I  did  not  find  at  home,  but  Mrs.  Arbuthnot  was  ...  I 
walked  with  Mrs.  Arbuthnot  down  to  Downing  Street,  and,  as  she 
utters  the  Duke's  sentiments,  was  anxious  to  hear  what  she 
would  say  about  their  present  condition.  I  said,  '  Well,  you 
are  in  a  fine  state ;  what  do  you  mean  to  do  ?  '  '  Oh,  are  you 
alarmed  ?  Well,  I  am  not ;  everybody  says  we  are  to  go  out, 
and  I  don't  beUeve  a  word  of  it.  They  will  be  beat  on  the  question 
of  Reform  ;  people  will  return  to  the  Government  and  we  shall 
go  on  very  well.  You  will  see  this  will  be  the  end  of  it.'  "  I 
told  her  I  did  not  believe  they  could  stay  in,  and  attacked  the 
Duke's  speech,'  which  at  last  she  owned  she  was  sorry  he  had 
made.  She  complained  that  they  had  no  support,  and  that 
everybody  they  took  in  became  useless  as  soon  as  they  were  in 
office— Ellenborough,  Rosslyn,  Murray.  It  was  evident,  how- 
ever, that  she  did  contemplate  their  loss  of  office  as  a  very  pro- 
bable event,  though  they  do  not  mean  to  resign,  and  think 
they  may  stave  off  the  evil  day.  In  Downing  Street  we  met 
George  Dawson,  who  told  us  the  funds  had  fallen  three  per  cent. , 
and  that  the  panic  was  tremendous,  so  much  so  that  they  were 
not  without  alarm  lest  there  should  be  a  run  on  the  Bank  for 
gold.     Later  in  the  day,  however,  the  funds  improved." 

On  27th  April,  1831,  popular  rage  against  WelUngton  for  his 
attitude  towards  Reform  reached  such  a  pitch  that  a  furious 
mob  collected  outside  Apsley  House  and  smashed  the  windows, 
only  withdrawing  on  learning  that  the  Duchess  of  Wellington 
had  died  three  days  before,  and  that  her  body  lay  inside  the 
house  at  that  moment.  The  same  day  Miss  Edgeworth  had 
called  at  Apsley  House,  also  ignorant  of  the  sad  event,  to 
enquire  after  her  friend.  To  her  grief  she  learnt  that  the  Duchess 
had  passed  away.  "  I  went  into  that  melancholy  house,  into 
that  great,  silent  hall :  window-shutters  closed  :  not  a  creature 
to  be  seen  or  heard.  .  .  . 

"  Then  came,  in  black,  that  maid,  of  whose  attachment  the 
Duchess  had  the  last  time  I  saw  her,  spoken  so  highly  and  truly, 
as  I  now  saw  by  the  first  look  and  words. 

'  This  was  Wellington's  celebrated  anti-Reform  speech,  delivered  in  the 
House  of  Lords  on  the  2nd  of  November,  1830,  which  sounded  the  death-knell 
of  his  ministry.     See  p.  472,  note. 


224  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

Too  true,  ma'am — she  is  gone  from  us  !  Her  Grace  died 
on  Saturday.' 

"  '  Was  the  Duke  in  town  ?  ' 

"  '  Yes,  ma'am,  BESIDE  HER.' 

"  Not  a  word  more,  but  I  was  glad  to  have  that  certain. 
Lord  Charles  had  arrived  in  time  ;  not  Lord  Douro.  .  .  . 

"  The  poor  maid  could  hardly  speak.  She  went  in  and 
brought  me  a  lock  of  her  mistress'  hair,  silver  grey,  all  but  a 
few  hght  brown,  that  just  recalled  the  beautiful  Kitty  Pakenham. 

"  So  ended  that  sweet,  innocent — shall  we  say  happy  or 
unhappy  life  ? — Happy,  I  should  think,  through  all ;  happy  in 
her  good  feelings,  and  good  conscience,  and  warm  affections, 
still  LOVING  on !  Happy  in  her  faith,  her  hope,  and  her 
charitj^ !  "  ' 

Gleig  says  that  during  the  Duchess's  last  illness  WeUington 
"  was  indefatigable  in  his  attentions  to  her ;  and  when  she 
ceased  to  breathe,  he  evinced  great  emotion."  '  An  old  friend 
of  Wellington's  happened  to  call  at  Apsley  House  during  her 
illness.  While  he  was  there  the  Duke  was  called  away  to 
his  wife's  room  and  after  an  interval  returned,  his  stern  features 
showing  signs  of  emotion.  "  It  is  a  strange  thing,"  he  remarked, 
"  that  two  people  can  live  together  for  half  a  lifetime  and  only 
understand  one  another  at  the  very  end."  After  a  pause, 
his  friend  remaining  silent,  he  related  that  the  Duchess  had  run 
her  thin  fingers  up  beneath  his  sleeve  to  assure  herself  that  he 
still  wore  an  armlet  she  had  once  given  him,  and  which  she 
believed  he  had  long  ago  discarded.  "  She  found  it,"  he  said, 
"  as  she  would  have  found  it  any  time  these  twenty  years,  had 
she  cared  to  look  for  it."  ' 

'  A  Memoir  of  Maria  Edgeworth,  by  Mrs.  Edgeworth,  1867,  vol.  iii.  pp.  57-8 
Miss  Edgeworth's  use  of  the  word  "  beautiful  "  recalls  to  one's  mind  the  old  legend 
that  the  Duchess  of  Welhngton's  face  was  pitted  with  small-pox.  Such  fictions 
die  hard,  but  this  one  at  least  has  been  recently  and  finally  disposed  of  by  Sir 
Herbert  Maxwell. — See  his  Life  of  Wellington,  vol.  i.  p.  78,  note. 

'  Gleig's  Life  of  Wellington,  vol.  iv.  p.  86. 

3  This  anecdote  was  told  to  the  writer  by  her  husband's  maternal  grand- 
mother, the  late  Mrs.  PhiUp  Anstruther,  who  had  heard  it  from  her  mother,  the 
Hon.  Mrs.  Stewart-Mackenzie  of  Seaforth.  Mrs.  Stewart-Mackenzie  was  an 
intimate  friend  of  the  Wellingtons,  and  was  the  first  to  bring  the  news  of  the 
victory  of  Waterloo  to  the  Duchess.  Happening  to  be  in  Whitehall  when 
the  coach  bearing  despatches  drove  past,  crowned  with  laurels  instead  of  crape, 
as  would  have  been  the  case  had  a  disaster  taken  place,  she  hurried  to  Apsley 
House  with  the  good  news.     This  interesting  fact  we  learn  from  Lady  St.  Helier's 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  225 

"  Kitty  Pakenham's "  sad,  clouded  life  was  over.  Mrs. 
Arbuthnot  did  not  long  survive  her.  She  died  very  suddenly 
at  Woodford  in  1834.  The  Duke  was  at  Hatfield  when  he  re- 
ceived the  news,  and  his  emotion  is  described  by  Sir  Herbert 
Maxwell,  quoting  Lady  Salisbury's  journal.'  He  was  thought 
very  lacking  in  feeling  because  he  attended  a  debate  in  the 
House  of  Lords  directly  afterwards,  showing  an  unmoved 
countenance,  worthy  of  the  "  Iron  Duke."  But  there  is  no 
doubt  that  Mrs.  Arbuthnot's  death  affected  him  very  deeply. 
He  clung  to  Charles  Arbuthnot,  who  henceforward  made  his 
home  with  the  Duke  at  Apsley  House,  Strathfieldsaye,  or 
Walmer,  making  over  Woodford  to  his  eldest  son.^ 

Writing  of  Mrs.  Arbuthnot's  death,  Greville,  who  sometimes 
shows  prejudice,  says  :  "  The  Duke  was  a  good-natured  but 
not  an  amiable  man  ;  he  had  no  tenderness  in  his  disposition 
and  never  evinced  much  affection  for  any  of  his  relations.  His 
nature  was  hard,  and  he  does  not  appear  to  have  had  any  real 
affection  for  anybody,  man  or  woman,  during  the  latter  years 
of  his  life,  since  the  death  of  Mrs.  Arbuthnot,  to  whom  he  pro- 
bably was  attached,  and  in  whom  he  certainly  confided.  .  ." 

Charles  Arbuthnot  was  a  true  and  loyal  friend  to  the  Duke 
of  Wellington — such  a  friend  as  great  men  do  not  always  find. 
He  had  no  fear  of  the  Duke,  or  of  risking  his  friendship  with 
him,  and  invariably  told  him  the  exact  truth  and  his  own  opinions 
on  every  subject,  whether  palatable  or  not.  This  attitude  of 
his  was  generously  appreciated  by  Welhngton,  and  the  simple, 
disinterested  friendship  between  the  two  men  is  an  honour  to 
both  of  them.  In  1822  Greville  told  Mr.  Arbuthnot  that  he 
thought  it  a  great  misfortune  that  the  Duke  of  Welhngton 
had  no  one  to  tell  him  the  truth  about  various  inefficient  members 
of  the  cabinet,  and  that  the  Duke  had  "  very  few  men  with 
whom  he  was  on  terms  of  confidential  cordiality.  He  owned  it 
was  so,  but  said  that  he  never  concealed  from  him  disagreeable 
truths — on   the   contrary,    told   him   everything — and   assured 

Memories  of  Fifty  Years.  In  later  years,  the  Duchess's  shortcomings  were  more 
present  to  the  mind  of  Wellington  than  the  memory  of  their  last  reconciliation. 
He  spoke  to  Lady  Salisbury  many  years  later  of  the  annoyance  he  had  sufiered 
through  her  extravagance  and  other  faults. — See  Life  of  Wellington,  by  Sir 
Herbert  Maxwell,  vol.  ii.  p.  260. 

'  Life  of  Wellington,  by  Sir  Herbert  Maxwell,  vol.  ii.  p.  296. 

=  Mr.  Charles  Arbuthnot  was  known  in  society  by  the  nickname  of  "  Gosh," 
and  is  often  so  mentioned  by  Greville. 
15 


226  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

me  that  at  any  time  he  would  tell  the  Duke  anything  that  I 
thought  he  ought  to  know." 

Mr.  Arbuthnot's  pohtical  life  was  now  over.  He  had  held 
several  offices  in  various  administrations.  In  i8og,  when  the 
Duke  of  Portland  was  Premier  he  was  Secretary  of  the  Treasury, 
and  in  1823  First  Commissioner  of  Woods  and  Forests  in  Lord 
Liverpool's  Government.  This  post  he  resigned  on  Mr.  Canning's 
taking  office  in  1827.  When  Wellington  became  Prime  Minister 
in  1828,  Mr.  Arbuthnot  returned  to  the  Woods  and  Forests, 
and  retained  that  post  until,  in  November,  1830,  Wellington's 
Government  resigned,  and  the  Whigs,  under  Lord  Grey,  took 
office,  with  their  programme  of  "  Peace,  Retrenchment  and 
Reform."  Mr.  Arbuthnot,  who  was  now  in  his  sixty-fourth 
year,  took  this  opportunity  to  abandon  public  life.  He  had 
been  an  intimate  and  trusted  friend  of  Lord  Castlereagh  and 
Lord  Liverpool,  and  some  idea  of  his  own  disinterested  conduct 
when  in  office  is  afforded  by  a  paper  in  his  hand,  now  in  the 
possession  of  Mrs.  Arthur  Arbuthnot.  It  is  dated  14th  December, 
1830,  exactly  a  month  after  his  final  retirement.  Mr.  Arbuthnot 
reviews  his  pohtical  hfe,  refers  to  his  warm  attachment  to  Lord 
Castlereagh,  and  goes  on  to  say  that  Lord  Liverpool,  knowing 
his  circumstances  to  be  far  from  affluent,  gave  to  Mrs.  Arbuthnot, 
unasked,  a  pension  in  the  Civil  List.  Mr.  Arbuthnot  continues, 
in  words  that  are  so  honourable  to  himself  that  we  must  be 
allowed  the  pleasure  of  quoting  them  at  length : 

"  It  is  known,  I  beUeve  to  most  of  my  friends,  if  not  to  all 
of  them,  that  I  possessed  the  unbounded  confidence  of  Lord 
Liverpool.  It  is  known  to  myself  that  he  never  made  any  appoint- 
ment, great  or  small,  without  first  talking  it  over  with  me.  It 
was  often  said  to  me  by  many  of  my  friends,  that  I  ought,  in 
justice  to  my  family,  to  receive  from  Lord  Liverpool  some  mark 
of  his  favour.  In  those  days,  it  was  far  more  in  the  power  of 
the  Minister  to  mark  approbation  by  conferring  favour,  than 
it  is  now,  and  I  must  have  been  kindly  thought  of  by  Lord 
Liverpool,  or  he  would  not  have  declared  to  me,  as  he  did,  that 
unless  I  continued  in  office  as  long  as  he  was  Minister,  he  should 
have  no  confidential  friend  to  aid  him.  But,  with  the  exception 
of  recommending   for  preferment   a   Brother  in  the  Church,' 

«  His  brother,  Alexander,  Bishop  of  Killaloe. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF   ABERDEENSHIRE    227 

and  of  asking  for  a  clerkship  in  the  Treasury  for  a  Nephew,' 
I  never  endeavoured  to  obtain,  nor  ever  did  obtain,  one  single 
favour  for  myself,  or  for  my  family,  during  the  many  years 
that  the  whole  Patronage  of  the  Treasury,  far  different  then 
from  what  it  is  now,  passed,  as  I  may  truly  say,  thro'  my 
hands. 

"My  career,  such  as  it  has  been,  is  entirely  of  my  own  making. 
I  had  no  family  interests  to  press  me  forward.  As  well  as  I 
could,  I  have  worked  laboriously  thro'  a  long  life.  With 
the  exception  of  a  retired  allowance,  I  am  poorer  now  than  when 
I  entered  public  life ;  and  I  have  at  least  the  consolation  of 
knowing  that  I  did  not  grasp  at  favours  when  I  might  have  had 
them,  and  that  I  never  betrayed  the  unhmited  Confidence  which 
was  placed  in  me." 

There  is  something  touchingly  simple  in  the  passages  of  Mr. 
Arbuthnot's  Autobiography,  written  for  his  children,  in  which 
he  reviews  his  career  in  the  following  words  : 

"  This  is  a  brief  outline  of  my  Ufe.  Throughout  the  whole  of 
it,  the  hand  of  God  has  been  over  me.  I  have  referred  to  it  in 
two  instances.  In  the  first,  in  my  very  early  childhood.  My  being 
taken  by  my  Great  Uncle  Andrew  Stone  was  the  cause  of  all  my 
subsequent  success  ;  and  here  let  me  say  it  enabled  me  subse- 
quently to  be  of  great  service  to  Brothers,  whom  I  had  seldom 
seen  and  scarcely  knew.  I  sent  for  my  Brother  Thomas  ;  and 
was  the  cause  of  his  advancement,  tho'  it  was  also  owing  to 
his  own  excellent  conduct.  To  Robert  I  was  not  of  equal  use, 
as  Lord  Beresford  aided  him  in  the  early  part  of  his  miUtary  life. 
But  I  got  him  the  important  step  of  L -Colonel,  and  subse- 
quently through  me  he  was  appointed  to  a  good  situation  by  the 
Duke  of  WelUngton,  when  he  commanded  the  Army  of  occupation 
in  France,  after  the  Battle  of  Waterloo  and  the  Treaty  of  Paris. 
My  brother  Alexander  I  got  Lord  Liverpool  to  appoint  to  the 
Bishopric  of  Killaloe. 

"  All  this  I  have  stated  as  instances  of  what  I  had  been  enabled 
to  do  in  consequence  of  having  been  myself  so  greatly  favoured 
by  Almighty  God. 

"  This  was  George  Arbuthnot,  only  son  of  his  brother,  Sir  Robert  Arbuthnot. 
He  was  for  many  years  in  the  Treasury,  and  was  private  secretary  to  Sir  Robert 
Peel. — See  p.  239. 


228  MEMORIES   OF   THE   ARBUTHNOTS 

"  And  the  other  great  and  leading  circumstance  of  my  life 
was  my  being  taken  from  a  wretched  state  of  idleness  by  Lord 
Grenville's  appointment  of  me  to  a  situation  in  his  office.  This 
I  have  ever  considered  as  the  hand  of  God  interfering  for  me  when 
in  the  high  road  to  ruin  and  without  which  I  could  neither  have 
had  success  myself,  nor  have  aided  any  of  my  family. 

"  But  it  is  not  merely  in  one  or  two  instances — they  have 
been  innumerable — that  I  have  seen  and  felt  the  protecting  hand 
of  the  Almighty.  And  considering  that  I  have  only  a  plain 
Understanding,  with  I  hope  good  common  sense,  I  have  felt 
the  more  grateful  to  God  for  the  many  and  great  favours  which 
he  has  heaped  upon  me. 

"  Had  I  been  a  person  of  brilliant  talents,  I  might  have  ascribed 
to  them  what  success  I  have  had  :  but  had  not  the  Almighty 
favoured  me,  and  greatly  too,  I  could  have  done  nothing.  There- 
fore to  Him  do  I  bow  down  in  gratitude.  I  have  it  in  my  heart, 
I  am  full  of  thanks  to  God  the  whole  day  long.  .  . 

"  I  have  gone  but  little  into  my  private  Ufe.  I  have  referred 
to  your  excellent  Mother  as  a  subject  deeply  interesting  to  you 
all :  but  I  have  abstained  from  other  subjects  which  would  be 
mainly  interesting  to  myself. 

"  This,  however,  I  will  say.  Although,  like  all  others,  I  have 
been  subject  sometimes  to  unhappiness  and  miseries,  it  has  been 
only  on  two  occasions  that  I  have  suffered  great  affliction. 

"  But  all  things  in  this  world  pass  away.  I  should  not  now 
even  wish  to  recall  from  the  dead,  my  mind  being  bent  on 
rejoining  those  who  are  gone  before  me." 

In  speaking  of  Wellington's  affection  for  Mr.  Arbuthnot, 
Gleig  says  that  from  the  latter  the  Duke  "  seems  never  to  have 
kept  back  a  thought.  Mild  and  gentle  in  his  deportment,  that 
gentleman  possessed,  in  no  common  degree,  the  quaUty  of 
discretion  ;  and  gave  himself  up  so  entirely  to  the  Duke  and  his 
concerns,  as  to  postpone  to  them  all  apparent  consideration  of 
his  own.  He  reaped  his  reward  in  such  a  measure  of  confidence 
and  affection  as  were  not  bestowed  upon  any  other  human 
being.  Latterly,  indeed,  after  both  had  become  widowers, 
Mr.  Arbuthnot  occupied  apartments  in  Apsley  House,  and  was 
the  Duke's  constant  companion  for  a  portion  at  least  of  the 
months  which  he  passed  in  the  country,  as  well  at  Walmer  as  at 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  229 

Strathfieldsaye.  It  was  touching  to  witness  the  regard  of  these 
old  men,  one  for  the  other ;  especially  to  observe  the  degree 
of  tenderness  with  which  the  Duke  watched  over  the  comforts  of 
his  friend.  Though  nearly  of  the  same  age,  Mr.  Arbuthnot  was 
physically  more  infirm  than  the  Duke,  and  the  Duke  knew  it. 
Hence,  after  they  had  walked  together  for  a  while,  in  an  autumnal 
evening,  on  the  beach  outside  the  castle,  the  Duke  would  stop 
short  and  say  :  '  Now,  Arbuthnot,  you've  been  out  long  enough. 
The  dew  is  falling,  and  you'll  catch  cold ;  you  must  go  in.' 
And  Uke  a  child  obeying  the  behests  of  its  mother  or  its  nurse, 
Arbuthnot,  not  always  without  a  brief  remonstrance,  would 
leave  the  Duke  to  continue  his  walk  alone,  and  withdraw  into 
the  castle." ' 

Mr.  Arbuthnot  died  i8th  August,  1850,  at  Apsley  House. 
Mr.  Gleig  gives  the  following  account  of  his  last  illness  :  "  Mr. 
Arbuthnot,  after  living  with  the  Duke  for  many  years,  was 
at  last  seized  with  the  malady  from  which  he  was  not  to  recover. 
Dr.  Ferguson  was  sent  for,  and,  having  carefully  examined  his 
patient,  made  a  report  to  the  Duke  that  the  case  was  hopeless. 
They  were  sitting  together  in  that  back  room  which  the  Duke 
usually  occupied,  and  which,  as  it  still  continues  in  the  state  in 
which  his  Grace  left  it,  so,  let  us  hope,  that  it  \vill  be  retained  in 
the  same  condition  while  Apsley  House  shall  endure.  The  Duke 
drew  his  chair  close  to  Ferguson's,  in  order  that  he  might  hear ; 
and  when  the  doom  was  uttered,  he  seized  the  doctor's  hand, 
and  rubbing  it  between  his  own,  and  gazing  into  Ferguson's 
face,  exclaimed  in  a  broken  voice,  '  No,  no,  he's  not  very  ill, 
not  very  bad, — he'll  get  better.  It's  only  his  stomach  that's 
out  of  order.  He'll  not  die.'  But  he  did  die,  in  spite  of  all  the 
nursing  which  the  Duke  personally  bestowed  upon  him,  and  the 
eagerness  with  which  he  clung  to  every  symptom  which  could 
by  any  means  be  accepted  as  favourable. 

"  Mr.  Arbuthnot  was  buried  at  Kensal  Green,  and  the  Duke 
attended  his  funeral.  While  the  service  was  read,  the  hero  of 
a  hundred  fights  sat  wrapped  in  his  mourning  cloak,  with  tears 
streaming  down  Ms  cheeks."  '    The  death  of  Charles  Arbuthnot 

'  Life  of  Wellington,  by  G.  R.  Gleig,  vol.  iv.  p.   150-1.     Longmans,  Green, 
Longmans  and  Roberts,  London,  i860. 
»  Ibid.,  vol.  iv.  p.  151. 


230  MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

is  said  to  have  been  the  last  sorrow  that  affected  Wellington  very 
deeply.  "  His  habits  were  latterly  very  sohtary,"  writes  Greville, 
"  and  after  the  death  of  Arbuthnot  he  had  no  intimacy  with 
anyone,  nor  any  friend  to  whom  he  could  talk  freely  and  confiden- 
tially. As  long  as  Arbuthnot  lived,  he  confided  everything  to 
him,  and  those  who  wished  to  communicate  with  the  Duke  almost 
always  did  so  through  him." 

This  will,  perhaps,  be  the  best  place  to  refer,  a  little  out  of 
sequence,  to  a  correspondence  that  took  place  rather  later,  with 
regard  to  some  papers  belonging  to  Mr.  Charles  Arbuthnot, 
which  were  sent  to  Apsley  House  after  his  death.  The  Duke, 
it  appears,  requested  General  Charles  George  Arbuthnot  to 
allow  him  to  see  all  the  letters  written  by  him  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Charles  Arbuthnot  during  the  long  course  of  years  over  which 
their  friendship  had  extended,  promising  to  return  them  after 
perusal.  Perhaps  the  old  Duke  found  the  task  altogether  too 
painful,  and  put  it  off  from  day  to  day,  for  General  Arbuthnot 
always  understood  that  he  never  actually  went  through  the 
papers,  some  of  which,  it  is  thought,  concerned  the  Arbuthnot 
family  alone  and  were  of  some  importance  to  them  in  other 
connections.  The  Duke  died  very  shortly  after  receiving  them, 
failing,  unfortunately,  to  leave  any  directions  as  to  their  return 
to  General  Arbuthnot.  The  loss  of  these  papers  was  a  consider- 
able annoyance  to  the  latter,  and  in  April,  1857,  he  addressed  a 
letter  to  the  second  Duke  of  Wellington,  explaining  the  circum- 
stances and  asking  that  the  box  might  be  returned  to  him.  The 
Duke,  however,  replying  on  the  27th  April,  declined  to  return  the 
papers,  should  he  find  them  at  Apsley  House,  on  the  ground  that 
he  had  no  proof  as  to  his  father's  intentions  with  regard  to  them, 
and  did  not  consider  himself  to  be  a  free  agent  in  the  matter. 
General  Arbuthnot  wrote  once  more,  on  the  3rd  June,  part  of  his 
letter  running  as  follows  : 

"  It  is  well  known  these  papers  were  never  seen  by  the  Duke 
of  WelUngton,  which  I  ascertained  when,  subsequently  to  my 
father's  death,  I  was  staying  at  Walmer.  I  am  placed  in  a  very 
distressing  position,  /  would  not  have  presumed  to  ask  for  any 
paper  or  letter  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington's,  except  these,  as  I  had 
no  power  to  give  away  these  papers.  I  have  seen  most  of  them, 
and  a  great  portion  of  them  consists  of  private  matters. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  231 

"  I  should  not  be  acting  according  to  my  conscience  and 
my  duty  if  I  did  not  trouble  you  again,  and  I  feel  confident, 
on  being  informed  of  the  position  in  which  I  am  placed  by 
having  parted  with  these  papers,  that  you  will  again  consider 
the  matter." 

It  is  not  known  whether  the  Duke  replied  to  this  letter,  but 
at  all  events  the  papers  were  not  recovered,  and  no  doubt  General 
Arbuthnot  resigned  himself  to  their  loss.  Many  years  later, 
his  son,  Mr.  Arthur  Arbuthnot,  approached  the  third  Duke  of 
Wellington  on  the  subject,  but  with  equal  ill-success,  the  Duke 
briefly  stating  that  he  considered  himself  bound  by  his  father's 
decision,  expressed  in  the  letter  already  referred  to.  In  reply 
to  this,  Mr.  Arthur  Arbuthnot  wrote  once  more,  on  the  ist  May, 
1885,  claiming  that  the  letters  were  his  absolute  property,  as 
his  grandfather's  direct  and  lawful  heir,  and  expressing  his 
hope  that  the  Duke  would  re-consider  his  attitude.  No 
reply  to  this  letter  has  been  found.  It  may  be  remarked  that, 
with  regard  to  the  legal  position — at  least  as  far  as  letters  written 
by  the  first  Duke  himself  were  concerned — Mr.  Arthur  Arbuthnot 
was  mistaken,  for  letters,  no  matter  in  whose  possession,  belong 
legally  to  their  writers,  and,  failing  them,  to  their  next  heirs ; 
but  some  regret  was  naturally  felt  over  the  loss  of  papers  lent 
in  a  friendly  way  to  the  first  Duke,  and  which  there  was  at 
the  time  no  reason  to  suppose  would  be  lost  to  the  Arbuthnot 
family. 

As  we  have  seen,  Mr.  Charles  Arbuthnot  was  twice  married, 
first,  by  special  license,  at  Cholmondeley  House,  Piccadilly, 
23rd  February,  1799,"  to  Marcia  Mary  Anne,  daughter  and  co- 
heiress of  William  Clapcott-Lisle  of  Upway,  Dorsetshire,  and 
niece  to  the  first  Marquis  of  Cholmondeley  ;  and  secondly,  at 
Fulbeck,  31st  January,  1814,  to  Harriet,  third  daughter  of  the 
Hon.  Henry  Fane  of  Fulbeck,  Lincolnshire  (younger  brother  of 
the  ninth  Earl  of  Westmorland).  By  his  second  wife,  who  died 
2nd  August,  1834,  and  was  buried  at  Fulbeck,  he  had  no  issue. 
By  his  first  wife,  who  died  at  Constantinople,  24th  May,  1806, 
he  had  issue — 

I.  Charles  George  James  (General),  born  1801,  to  whom 
we  shall  return. 

'  Gentleman's  Magazine. 


232  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

II.  Henry,  in  the  2nd  Life  Guards,  and  afterwards  a 
Commissioner  of  Audit,  born  1803,  married  ^30th 
April,  1830)  Lady  Charlotte  Rachel  Scott,  daughter 
of  Thomas,  second  Earl  of  Clonmell.  He  died 
24th  June,  1875,  and  was  buried  at  All  Saints' 
Church,  Isle  of  Wight,  having  had  issue  by  his  wife 
(who  died  23rd  April,  1891)  an  only  daughter,  Marcia, 
who  died  at  Torquay,  unmarried,  12th  January, 
1850,  aged  18. 
I.  CaroUne,  born  at  Lord  Gwydir's  house  in  Whitehall 
28th  July,  1802,  died  unmarried  in  1872  ;  buried  in 
Houghton  churchyard  7th  November  that  year. 

II.  Marcia  Emma  Gcorgiana,  born  loth  October,  1804, 
married  (28th  February,  1825)  her  cousin.  Lord 
William  Henry  Hugh  Cholmondeley,  second  son  of 
George,  first  Marquis  of  Cholmondeley.  Lord  Henry — 
as  he  was  usually  called— succeeded  to  the  Marquisate 
of  Cholmondeley  on  the  death  of  his  elder  brother  in 
1870,  and  died  in  1884,  having  had  issue  by  his 
wife  two  sons  and  three  daughters.'  Lady  Chol- 
mondeley died  in  London,  3rd  November,  1878, 
and  was  buried  at  Kensal  Green. 

General  Charles  George  James  Arbuthnot,  eldest  son  of  the 
Right  Hon.  Charles  Arbuthnot,  was  born  on  board  the  frigate 
Juno  in  1801.  In  1812  he  was  appointed  page  of  honour  to 
George  III.  In  1816  he  entered  the  army  as  ensign  in 
the  Grenadier  Guards.  In  1820  he  was  captain  in  the  28th 
Regiment,  then  major,  and,  in  1825,  lieutenant-colonel  in  the 
72nd.  Sir  Alexander  Arbuthnot  writes ' :  "  Charles  Arbuthnot 
was  an  equerry  to  the  Queen.  He  went  by  the  name  of  '  Carlo 
Dolce  '  and  was  noted  for  his  courtier-Hke  manners.  I  remember 
being  told  that  on  one  occasion,  at  Windsor,  when  he  and  Lord 
Charles  Wellesley  were  riding  by  the  Queen's  carriage,  a  heavy 
storm  came  on  and  the  equerries  were  drenched  with  rain.  When 
they  arrived  at  the  Castle  the  Queen  asked  Lord  Charles  Wellesley 
whether  he  was  very  wet.  '  Drenched  to  the  skin,  ma'am,' 
was    the    answer.      '  If     it    had     been     Colonel    Arbuthnot,' 

•  The  present   (fourth)   Marquess   of  Cholmondeley  is   grandson   to   Marcia 
Arbuthnot  and  great-grandson  to  the  Right  Hon.  Charles  Arbuthnot. 
>  Memories  of  Rugby  and  India,  p.  8. 


^r, 


-x""--^;. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF   ABERDEENSHIRE    233 

remarked  her  Majesty, '  he  would  have  answered,  "I  am  perfectly 
dry."  '  " 

Sir  Alexander  describes  him  elsewhere  as  "  a  stiff  sort  of  man," 
and  says  that  the  discipline  in  his  regiment  was  very  severe, 
but  its  efficiency  correspondingly  high.' 

About  the  year  1847  General  Arbuthnot  appears  to  have 
taken  a  great  interest  in  the  genealogy  of  his  family,  as  is  shown 
by  several  letters  of  his  written  in  that  year  to  various  relations. 
The  results  of  the  investigation  set  on  foot  by  him  and  his  father 
at  that  time  are  very  interesting,  and  throw  some  Ught  on  the 
descent  of  Admiral  Marriott  Arbuthnot.' 

In  one  letter,  dated  i6th  April,  1847,  referring  to  the  spelUng 
of  the  name  with  either  one  or  two  it's,  General  Arbuthnot  writes 
as  follows  to  his  father  :  "  One  day,  when  I  was  at  Claremont, 
I  rode  with  the  Queen  to  Hampton  Court,  and  her  Majesty  said 
'  She  did  not  understand  why  Mr.  Arbuthnot  did  not  spell  his 
name  with  two  tt's,  as  Lord  Arbuthnott  does,  for  that  she  knew 
we  were  the  same  family.'  The  Queen  knows  the  history  of 
every  family  and  has  a  wonderful  memory  on  such  subjects," 
etc.  General  Arbuthnot  is  frequently  mentioned  in  Queen 
Victoria's  Letters. 

He  married,  I4tli  August,  1833,  the  Hon.  Charlotte  EHza 
Vivian,  eldest  daughter  of  Richard,  first  Lord  Vivian.  (She 
died  30th  July,  1877.)  He  died  21st  October,  1870,  and  was 
buried  at  Brompton  Cemetery.     His  children  were — 

L  Arthur,  of  Woodford,  to  whom  the  Duke  of  WeUington 
stood  sponsor,  of  whom  presently. 
H.  Charles   Hussey  Vivian,   born   26th  February,    1846; 
died  unmarried. 
L  Charlotte  Letitia  Caroline,  born  1839,  married  (12th 
July,    1859)    Sir   Herbert   Harley   Murray,    K.C.B., 
Treasury  Remembrancer   for   Ireland,  and  died  in 
1884,  leaving  issue. 
II.  Marcia,  died  unmarried  6th  September,  1879. 
HI.  Mabel,  died  unmarried. 

Arthur  Arbuthnot  of  Woodford,  eldest  son  of  General  Charles 
George  James  Arbuthnot,  was  born  ist  February,  1843.     He 

'  Memories  of  Rugby  and  India,  p.  76. 
»  See  Appendix  V. 


234  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

was  for  some  time  in  the  Rifle  Brigade.  Woodford,  with  most 
of  its  contents,  was  sold  about  1882,  and  many  family  portraits 
of  great  interest  then  passed  from  Mr.  Arbuthnot's  possession. 
Among  these  was  the  beautiful  portrait  of  his  grandmother, 
by  Hoppner,  now  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  W.  D.  Clark  of 
Tal-y-garn,  Glamorganshire,  as  well  as  that  of  the  second 
Mrs.  Charles  Arbuthnot  by  Lawrence.  The  latter  now  belongs 
to  Mrs.  Charles  Fane  of  Fulbeck,  Lincolnshire.  These  two 
portraits  used  to  hang  one  on  each  side  of  a  portrait,  by  Hoppner, 
of  Mr.  Charles  Arbuthnot,  at  Woodford.  Many  family  relics 
and  miniatures  were,  however,  retained  by  the  family,  and 
are  now  in  the  possession  of  Mrs.  Arthur  Arbuthnot,  at  34,  St. 
George's  Road,  London.  Mr.  Arthur  Arbuthnot  married  (ist 
October,  1868)  Emily,  daughter  of  WiUiam  Cuthbert  of  Beau- 
front  Castle,  Northumberland,  and  died  in  1887.  He  was  buried 
at  St.  Saviour's,  Jersey,  17th  October  that  year.  By  his  wife 
he  had  issue — 

L  Charles,  born  9th  July,  1869,  died  unmarried  in  1903. 
H.  Frederick,   of  the   loth  Imperial  Yeomanry,  born  in 

1872,  killed  in  the  Boer  War  in  1900. 
III.  Eric,  born  in  1874,  hneal  head  of  the  Aberdeenshire 
branch  of  the  Arbuthnot  family.  Always  provided 
that  a  line  descending  legitimately  from  Robert 
Arbuthnot,  banker  at  Rouen,  has  not  persisted  in 
France.  See  p.  167,  note. 
I.  Evelyn  Geraldine,  born  1876,  married  Robert  Oliver 

Harold. 
11.  Muriel,  born  1871,  died  the  same  year. 

III.  Madeline  Charly,  born  1877,  a  Sister  of  Mercy  of  the 

Order  of  St.  Benedict  at  Mailing. 

IV.  Marcia  Hyacinth,  born  1877  (twin  with  Madeline). 
V.  Violet  Mary,  born  1878. 

Alexander  Arbuthnot,  Bishop  of  Killaloe,  fourth  son  of 
John  Arbuthnot  of  Rockfleet,  was  born  7th  May,  1768.  We 
have  noticed  that  in  1781  his  father  wrote  of  him  to  Mr.  Young 
as  being  exceedingly  precocious.  In  1784,  at  the  age  of  sixteen, 
he  was  entered  at  Trinity  College,  DubHn.  In  1797  his  father 
died,  directing  in  his  will  that  his  eldest  son,  George,  should  have 
the  first  option  of  buying  the  Rockfleet  Castle  estate,  if  he  wished 
to  do  so.    His  brother  not  exercising  his  right,  the  estate  was 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  235 

held  in  trust  for  all  the  children  of  John  Arbuthnot  of  Rockfleet 
until  1798,  when  Alexander  bought  the  shares  of  his  brothers  and 
sisters,  and  leased  the  property  to  the  Rev.  Charles  Dudley- 
Ryder,  of  Merrion  Square,  Dubhn,  and  in  1801  sold  it  to  the 
Rev.  Peter  Bro\vne,  Dean  of  Ferns.  In  1809  he  was  Archdeacon 
of  Aghadoe,  and  in  18 16  Dean  of  Cloyne.  He  was  consecrated 
Bishop  of  Killaloe  in  Tuam  Cathedral  in  1823.  He  died  at  his 
Palace  of  Killaloe  9th  January,  1828,  and  was  buried  in  the 
churchyard  of  the  Cathedral,  where  there  is  an  inscription  to 
his  memory,  which  has  been  recently  re-cut  by  direction  of  Lady 
Arbuthnot,  widow  of  his  third  son.  Sir  Alexander  John 
Arbuthnot." 

He  married  first  (31st  March,  1798)  Susanna,  daughter  of 
.  .  .  Bingham,  of  Antigua,  and  secondly  (5th  May,  18 19) 
Margaret  Phoebe,  daughter  of  George  Bingham ;  the  two 
wives  were  first  cousins,  and  are  said  to  have  belonged  to  the 
Earl  of  Lucan's  family.    By  his  first  wife,  the  Bishop  had  issue — 

I.  John,  born  1799,  entered  at  Trinity  College,  DubUn, 

in  1815,  died  unmarried. 
n.  George  Bingham  (General),  of  whom  presently. 
I.  Anne,    married    (4th    October,    1833)    William    Pallet 
Brown   Chatteris   of   Sandleford   Priory,   Newbury, 
Berks,  and  died  15th  March,  1848. 
H.  Frances,  married  (1828)  the  Rev.  Patrick  Comerford 
Law,  of  Ballyvalley,  co.   Clare,   Rector  of    North 
Repps,  Norfolk,  and  died  in  1857,  having  had  issue, 

•  The  Gentleman's  Magazine  for  February,  1828,  gives  the  following  account 
of  the  Bishop  of  Killaloe,  after  announcing  his  death  "  at  his  palace  of  Clarisford," 
on  the  gth  of  January  : 

"  This  excellent  prelate  was  brother  to  Major-General  Sir  Thomas  Arbuthnot, 
K.C.B.,  who  commands  a  British  Brigade  in  Portugal,  and  to  the  Right  Hon. 
Charles  Arbuthnot,  late  Chief  Commissioner  of  his  Majesty's  Woods  and  Forests. 
From  the  Deanery  of  Cloyne  he  was  appointed  to  succeed  Dr.  Mant,  now  Bishop 
of  Down,  in  the  See  of  Killaloe,  in  1823.  In  Dr.  Arbuthnot,  the  clergy  of  his  diocese 
will  have  to  regret  a  generous  and  impartial  patron,  and  a  kind  protector  ;  the 
numerous  poor  of  his  neighbourhood,  a  benefactor,  an  advocate  and  a  friend. 
Ever  anxious  to  promote  the  interests  of  religion,  and  secure  the  comforts  of  his 
clergy,  the  number  of  churches  and  glebe-houses  was  increased  by  his  exertion. 
A  constant  resident  in  his  diocese,  his  attention  was  never  diverted  from  the  high 
and  important  charge  confided  to  his  care,  and  the  humble  and  deserving  curate 
had  not  to  complain  of  neglect  or  discouragement  from  this  exemplary  prelate. 
A  perfect  gentleman,  to  every  class  of  persons  his  manners  were  courteous  and 
affable,  while  his  deportment  was  ever  consistent  with  the  dignity  of  his  station. 
His  lordship's  remains  were  interred  in  the  Cathedral  of  Killaloe,  attended  by  a 
vast  concourse  of  persons." 


236  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

By  his  second  wdfe,  Margaret  Phoebe  Bingham,  the  Bishop 
had  issue — 

III.  Alexander   John,    (Sir),    K.C.S.I.,    CLE.,    bom    nth 

October,  1822,  was  Member  of  Council  at  Madras 
from  1867  to  1872 ;  Member  of  Council  of  the 
Governor-General  of  India  in  1875  ;  and  member 
of  Council  of  the  Secretary  of  State  for  India,  1887- 
1897.  In  his  interesting  Memoirs,  edited  by  his  widow, 
Lady  Arbuthnot,  many  details  of  his  experiences  in 
India  will  be  found.  He  married  first,  in  1844,  Frede- 
rica,  daughter  of  Major-Gen eral  Robert  Fearon,  C.B. 
She  died  in  1898.  Sir  Alexander  married  secondly 
Constance  Angelena,  youngest  daughter  of  Sir 
1  William    Milman,   third    Baronet.'     Sir   Alexander 

died  s.p.  in  June,  1907.  He  published  in  1881  a 
memoir  of  Sir  Thomas  Munro,  and  in  1899  Lord  Clive, 
The  Foundation  of  British  Rule  in  India,  which 
formed  the  fifth  volume  of  the  series  of  "  Builders 
of  Greater  Britain,"  edited  by  Sir  H.  F.  Wilson.  He 
specialized  in  the  hves  of  distinguished  Anglo-Indians, 
and  contributed  no  less  than  fifty-three  biographies 
to  the  Dictionary  of  National  Biography.  His 
posthumous  Memories  of  Rugby  and  India,  already 
referred  to,  was  pubUshed  in  1910. 

IV.  Charles  George   (Gen.   Sir),   K.C.B.,  born  19th  May, 

1824.  Served  in  the  Crimea,  and  second  Afghan 
and  Burmah  campaigns.  Was  Commander-in- 
Chief  of  the  Madras  Army,  1886-91.  On  his 
retirement  was  made  Colonel-Commandant  of  the 
Royal  Artillery.  He  died  14th  April,  1899, 
having  married  (27th  October,  1868)  Caroline, 
daughter  of  William  Clarke,  M.D,  of  Barbadoes, 
and  by  her  (who  died  in  1909)  had  issue — 

(i)  Charles  William,  born  9th  July,   1869,  died 
in  infancy. 

'  Lady  Arbuthnot,  under  her  maiden  name  of  Constance  Milman,  is  author 
of  several  books,  of  which  perhaps  the  best  known  is  Through  London  Spectacles, 
consisting  chiefly  of  a  series  of  articles  previously  contributed  by  her  to  the 
Spectator.  The  Cloak  of  Charity  was  written  and  published  after  Ler  marriage, 
and  has  also  found  many  readers. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF   ABERDEENSHIRE    287 

(2)  Alexander    George     (Lieut-Colonel),     C.M.G., 

D.S.O.,  24th  Battery  R.F.A.,  born  30th 
November,  1873  ;  entered  the  Army,  1893  ; 
Captain,  1900 ;  Major,  1910 ;  served  in 
the  European  War,  1914-18  (Despatches, 
five  times,  D.S.O.)  ;  Serbian  Order  of 
Karageorg.  He  married  (1905)  Olive  Mary 
Hay,  daughter  of  Colonel  W.  H.  Burton, 
R.E. 

(3)  WilUam   John,    I.C.S.,   bom    1885,    killed   in 

the  European  War,  9th  January,  1917, 
aged  thirty-one. 
(i)  Margaret  Georgiana,  born  1871,  is  Inspector 
of  Women's  Prisons  and  in  charge  of  a 
Girls'  Reformatory  under  the  Egyptian 
Government.  Was  previously  nursing  for 
eighteen  years  (Matron,  Government  Hos- 
pital, Suez,  1901-4;  of  Anglo-American 
Hospital,  Cairo,  1904-10).  Temporary  war 
work  in  1915. 

(2)  CaroUne    Anne    Maude,    born    1877,    married 

(1904)  Mervyn  Hugh  Cobbe,  R.N. 

(3)  Beatrice    Mary,    born    1879,    married    (1906) 

Major  Alan  Sutherland  Colquhoun,  York- 
shire Light  Infantry. 

(4)  Phoebe  Janet,  bom  1881,  married  (29th  May, 

1913)  David  Crombie  of  Greenhills,  Long- 
reach,  Queensland. 

(5)  Mary  Reeve,  born  1883,  served  as  a  nurse  in 

the  European  War  (mentioned  in  Des- 
patches, and  R.R.C.). 

III.  Susan    Harriette,    bom    1821,    died    i8th   November, 

1823,  aged  two  years. 

IV.  Margaret  Sarah,  twin  with- Charles  George,  bom  1824, 

died  unmarried  6th  May,  1841. 

General  George  Bingham  Arbuthnot,  second  son  of  Alexander 
Arbuthnot,  Bishop  of  Killaloe,  was  bom  2nd  December,  1803. 
He  was  in  the  3rd  Madras  Cavalry.    He  died  30th  May,  1867, 


238  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

having  married  (15th  July,  1829)  Harriet  Louisa,  daughter  of 
Joseph  Mason  Ormsby,  Esq.,  and  had  issue — 

I.  George  Alexander  (Major-General),  Madras  Cavalry, 
born  15th  June,  1831.  He  n:iarried  (15th  August, 
i860)  Fanny  Isabella,  eldest  daughter  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Herbert  William  Wood,  Indian  Army,  and 
had  issue — 

(i)  Lancelot  Bingham,  bom  1861,  died  3rd  August, 
1879. 

(2)  George   Herbert   (Lieut. -Colon el),  3rd  Madras 

Cavalry,  born  i6th  December,  1863,  married 
Rose  WigUe. 

(3)  Percy  Bingham,  born  ist  April,  1867. 

(4)  Alexander,    bom    17th    August,    1869,    died 

unmarried  1902. 
(i)  Beatrice  Bingham,  married  (1896)   M.  Close. 

II.  Bingham  Henry  Law,  bom  9th  April,  1837,  died  loth 

April,  1857,  aged  twenty. 
I.  Susan  Harriet,  died  i8th  November,  1823,  aged  two 

years. 
II.  Alice  Catherine,  married  (15th  February,  1862)  Captain 

Charles    Robert    Kerr    Hubbuck,    King's    Dragoon 

Guards,  and  has  issue. 

III.  Fanny,  married  (29th  March,   1859)   Captain  Robert 

Alfred  Loraine  Grews,  King's  Dragoon  Guards,  and 
has  issue.     She  died  1917. 

IV.  Catherine  Ormsby,  died  26th  February,  1857. 

General  Sir  Robert  Arbuthnot,  K.C.B.,  K.T.S..  fifth  son  of 
John  Arbuthnot  of  Rockfleet,  was  bom  19th  November,  1773. 
In  1797  he  was  gazetted  to  a  Cometcy  in  the  23rd  Light  Dragoons, 
and  promoted  the  same  year  to  a  Lieutenancy.  He  served  in 
Ireland  during  the  Rebellion,  and  was  present  at  the  battle  of 
Ballinamuck,  when  the  French  General  Humbert  and  his  army 
were  taken  prisoners.  In  September,  1805,  he  went  with  his 
regiment  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  took  part  in  the  capture 
of  that  settlement  by  Sir  David  Baird.  He  proceeded  to  South 
America  on  the  staff  of  Major-General  Beresford,  and  was 
present  at  the  surrender  of  Buenos  Ayres,  and  at  two  engagements 


General  George   Bingham   Arbulhnol. 

F,om  n  MouMt  by   A^gu>l    Edcumd  m  the  pc-.-Oj/on  of  Mr.  T.  S-M.  ./l,balh„ol. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  239 

previous  to  its  recapture  by  the  Spaniards.  Following  this, 
he  was  for  thirteen  months  a  prisoner,  being  marched  a  thousand 
miles  into  the  interior.  In  1808  he  proceeded  to  Portugal  on 
the  staff  of  General  Beresford,  served  in  the  Spanish  campaign, 
and  was  present  at  the  battle  of  Corunna,  1809.  The  same 
year  he  went  to  Portugal  with  General  Beresford.' 

He  was  created  a  Knight  of  the  Bath  4th  December,  1815,  by 
the  Prince  Regent. 

In  a  note  to  his  Autobiography,  his  brother  Charles  writes 
(in  1849) :  "  I  have  recently  heard  that  after  the  Battle  of  Albuera 
Ld.  Beresford  offered  to  my  brother  Robert  the  rank  of  Lt.- 
Colonelcy,  but  he  preferred  coming  to  England  with  the  dispatch 
announcing  that  Victory." 

Sir  Robert  hved  latterly  at  Hanover  Lodge,  Regent's  Park, 
and  died  6th  May,  1853. 

Sir  Robert  married  first  (at  Belfast,  1st  February,  1802) 
Susan,  only  surviving  child  and  heiress  of  Wilham  Vesey  of 
Farm  Hill,  Co.  Mayo.  Sir  Robert  is  said  to  have  laid  out 
large  sums  in  improving  his  wife's  house  and  estate.  She 
died  at  Teddington  30th  June,  1822,  and  Sir  Robert  married 
secondly-  (at  St.  James's  Church,  London,  4th  January,  1826) 
Harriet,  daughter  and  co-heiress  of  Thomas  Smith  of 
Castleton  Hall,  Rochdale,  Lancashire.  She  died  5th  December, 
1861,  s.p. 

By  his  first  wife.  Sir  Robert  had  issue — 

I.  George,  of  whom  below. 

I.  Phoebe    Sarah,   married   (22nd    February,    1825)    the 
Rev.  Randal  Henry  Feilden,  Rector  of  Ashley,  Wilts. 

George  Arbuthnot,  of  Farm  Hill,  Co.  Mayo,  and  of  Norbiton, 
Surrey,  only  son  of  General  Sir  Robert  Arbuthnot,  was  bom 
20th  November,  1802.  He  was  in  the  Treasury,  and  was  private 
secretary  to  Sir  Robert  Peel,  and  subsequently  to  Sir  Charles 
Wood,  Bart,  (afterwards  Viscount  HaUfax).  He  died  28th 
July,  1865,  having  married  first  (29th  April,  1829)  Augusta 
Ameha  Adolphina,  daughter  of  Christopher  Papendick,  Esq., 
of  Kew,  Surrey.  She  died  5th  February,  1853.  He  married 
secondly  (28th  September,  1857)  Louisa  Anne,  second  daughter 
of  Lieutenant-General  Sir  Richard  Jones,  K.C.B. 

«  Services  of  OfiBcers,  W.O.,  25/744. 


240  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

By  his  first  wife  he  had  issue — 

I.  Robert  Christopher  (Major)  of  Hollow  Dene,  Fren- 
sham,  Surrey,  born  19th  February,  1830  ;  married 
{25th  November,  1875)  Frances,  only  child  and 
heiress  of  Wastel  Brisco  of  Southcote  Manor,  Berks,' 
and  died  at  Reading,  30th  December,  1891, 
having  had  issue  an  only  son,  Robert  John 
Wastel  Arbuthnot-Brisco  (Major),  Royal  Welsh 
FusiUers,  of  Newtown  Hall,  Montgomeryshire, 
born  5th  February,  1877  ;  served  in  the  South 
African  War  ;  assumed  the  additional  surname  of 
Brisco  in  igi2  ;  married  (1905)  Winifride  Teresa, 
daughter  of  A.  Boursot  of  Vicarage  Gate,  London, 
and  has  issue  four  sons,  viz  :  (i)  Robert  Christo- 
pher Arbuthnot,  born  2nd  September,  1906 ; 
(2)  John  Henry  Arbuthnot,  born  30th  January, 
1908  ;  (3)  Thomas  Francis  Arbuthnot,  born  9th 
December,  1909  ;  (4)  George  Alexander  Arbuth- 
not-Brisco, born  30th  October,  1913. 
II.  Henry  Thomas  (Major-General),  C.B.,  born  i6th 
October,  1834,  served  in  the  Crimean  War,  1854-6, 
being  present  at  the  battles  of  Alma  and  Inkerman. 
He  was  also  present  at  the  siege  and  fall  of  Sebas- 
topol.  Served  during  the  Indian  Mutiny  and  was 
present  at  the  siege  and  capture  of  Lucknow. 
He  died  at  Ramsay  House,  Shooter's  Hill,  3rd 
May,  1919,  having  married  (17th  September, 
1862)  Anna  Jane,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Holme 
Mowbray  of  Surbiton,  by  whom  he  had  issue 
an  only  son — 

'  Wastel  Brisco  descended  thus  from  the  Briscos  of  Crofton  :  John  Brisco 
of  Crofton,  Cumberland  (who  died  in  1760),  married  Catherine,  daughter  of  Sir 
Richard  Musgrave  Bart.,  and  had  two  sons,  John  and  Musgrave.  The  eldest, 
the  Rev.  John  Brisco,  was  progenitor  of  the  senior  branch  of  the  family,  of  which 
the  present  Sir  Hylton  Ralph  Brisco,  Bart.,  is  the  head.  The  second  son,  Musgrave, 
married  Mary,  daughter  and  heiress  of  Edward  Dyne  of  Coghurst,  Sussex.  Their 
son,  Wastel,  married  Sarah  Goulburn,  and  had  two  sons,  Musgrave  and  Wastel. 
Musgrave  left  no  issue,  and  Wastel  married  Mary,  daughter  of  John  Lade  of 
Broughton  House,  Kent.  Their  eldest  son,  also  Wastel,  born  1824,  had  a  daughter, 
Frances,  who  married  Robert  Christopher  Arbuthnot,  as  above.  For  an  account 
of  the  Briscos  of  Crofton,  see  p.  179-180,  note. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    241 

George  Holme  (Major),  Royal  Berkshire  Regi- 
ment, born  8th  July,  1864 ;  gazetted 
to  Royal  Berkshire  Regiment  29th 
August,  1885  ;  served  in  the  Soudan, 
1885-6  (Medal  and  Bronze  Star)  ;  Cap- 
tain, 1896  ;  Major,  1905  ;  retired  March, 
1914  ;  joined  New  Army  on  the  outbreak 
of  the  European  War  and  served  with 
5th  Service  Battalion  Royal  Berkshire 
Regiment,  in  France,  till  March,  1916  ; 
afterwards  Town  Major  and  Area  Com- 
mandant in  France  and  Belgium,  till 
March,  1919.  Major  Arbuthnot  married 
(1910)  Isabella  Catherine,  daughter  of 
Colonel  Charles  J.  C.  Cramer-Roberts, 
Norfolk  Regiment. 

III.  George     Alexander    Papendick    (Rev.),    born    21st 

March,  1839,  vicar  of  Roscommon,  formerly  of 
the  4th  Bengal  European  Light  Infantry  ;  married 
first  (19th  May,  1863)  Mary  Ellen,  only  daughter 
of  Wilham  Fulcher  of  Surbiton  (and  grand-daughter 
of  the  Marquis  d'Amboise).  She  died  22nd  April, 
1869,  s.p.  He  married  secondly  (5th  April,  1870) 
Anne  Jessie  Thomasine,  youngest  daughter  of 
Thomas   D.   Hall,   R.N.,   and  died  s.p.   in   1902. 

IV.  Adolphus  Planta,  born  9th  January,  1844,  died  2nd 

December  the  same  year. 
I.  Augusta    Mary    Anne,    born    13th    October,    1831, 
married  (4th  July,  1861)  Vernon  Delves  Broughton 
of  Hunbury  Hill,  Northants. 
II.  Susan  Christine,  born  12th  November,   1846. 


16 


PART    IV 

THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE, 
THIRD    BRANCH. 

LINE,  BELIEVED  TO  BE  EXTINCT,  DESCENDING  FROM 
ALEXANDER,  SON  OF  JAMES  ARBUTHNOT  OF 
LENTUSCHE. 


LINE,  BELIEVED  TO  BE  EXTINCT,  DESCENDING 
FROM  ALEXANDER,  SON  OF  JAMES  ARBUTH- 
NOT  OF  LENTUSCHE. 

NO  documentary  proofs  can  be  advanced  for  the  early 
stages  of  the  Hne  said  by  John  Moir  to  descend  from 
Alexander  Arbuthnot,  third  of  the  three  brothers 
whom  he  states  to  have  first  settled  in  Buchan.  Moir  tells 
us  that  this  Alexander  was  younger  brother  of  the  first  Laird 
of  Cairngall,  and  we  can  corroborate  him  so  far  as  to  say  that 
the  first  Laird  certainly  had  a  brother  Alexander.  Of  him  few 
traces  can  be  found,  but  we  find  that  in  1602  he  wit- 
nessed a  deed  at  Cairngall.'  In  1608  he  was  in  trouble 
(in  company  with  George  LesHe  of  Old  Craig)  for  the  murder 
of  George  Leith,  son  of  John  Leith  of  Harthill.  At  the 
petition  of  the  widow,  Helen  Leith,  her  two  sons  and  father- 
in-law,  Alexander  Arbuthnot,  "son  of  the  late  James  Arbuthnot 
of  Lentusche,"  was,  with  George  Leslie,  put  to  the  horn  for 
the  crime  of  "  invading  .  .  .  and  slaying  the  said  Mr.  George 
with  hagbuts  and  thereafter  stripping  him  of  his  habihments, 
together  with  his  sword,  steel-bonnet  and  purse  containing 
;^ioo  of  gold  and  £10  in  white  silver,"  etc.= 

In  i6og  several  people  found  caution  not  to  "  reset  "  the 
two  delinquents,  who,  we  find,  were  still  at  the  horn  in  1616 
for  the  same  offence.' 

Nothing  further  is  definitely  known  of  Alexander.  Moir 
says  :  "  Alexander  Arbuthnot,  a  son  or  descendant  of  the 
third  brother  who  first  settled  in  Buchan,  entered  into  the 
service  of  the  Earl  Marischal,''  and  accompanied  that  powerful 
nobleman  to  Denmark  in  1589,  when  he  went  to  espouse  the 
Princess  Anne  for  James  VI.     The  Earl,  perhaps  the  most 

•  Register  of  Deeds,  vol.  84. 

»  Registers  of  the  Privy  Council  of  Scotland,  vol.  viii.  p.  204. 

3  Aberdeenshire  Homings,  vol.  20. 

4  George,  5th  Earl  Marischal. — Note  to  Moir's  MS.  History. 


246  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

opulent  of  the  Scottish  nobility,  appeared  at  the  Danish  Court 
with  all  the  lustre  and  magnificance  with  which  the  wealth 
of  Scotland  could  adorn  him.  Alexander  Arbuthnot  settled, 
on  his  return  from  Denmark,  first  at  Auchlee,  then  at  Rora, 
both  in  the  parish  of  Longside."  This  Alexander,  who,  if  not 
a  son,  might  easily  be  identical  with  the  foregoing  one,  is  said 
to  have  married  Janet  Stuart,  maid-of-honour  to  Anne  of 
Denmark,'  and  by  her  to  have  had  issue  a  son,' 

Alexander,  in  Rora.  There  is  in  existence  a  renewed  lease 
of  Rora  to  this  Alexander,  which  was  signed  at  Rora,  23rd 
January,  1680,  whereby  Robert  Keith  of  Red  Castle  lets  to 
Alexander  Arbuthnot,  "  his  tenants  and  sub-tenants  of  nae 
higher  degree  nor  himself,  all  and  hale  that  two  pleughes  of 
land  in  Rora  presently  possessed  by  the  said  Alexander," 
etc.3  This  lease  was  signed  the  year  preceding  Alexander's 
death,  and  it  is  not  known  how  long  he  had  occupied  and 
farmed  Rora  previous  to  this  date.  He  married  Elspet  Innes, 
of  the  family  of  Binwell,  great-great-aunt  (says  Moir,  writing  in 
1815)  to  "  the  present  Gilbert  Innes  of  Stowe,  deputy-governor 
of  the  Royal  Bank  of  Scotland,"  and  died  in  1679,  having  had 
issue  by  her  (who  died  in  i68i)''  — 

I  There  was  formerly  preserved  at  Arbuthnot  House,  Peterhead,  a  quaich 
or  drinking-cup  bearing  the  following  inscription:  "Alexander  Arbuthnot  and 
Janet  Stuart,   1593."     Very  possibly  this  might  be  the  date  of  their  marriage. 

»  It  is  possible  that  a  generation  may  intervene  between  the  two  Alexanders, 
although  they  have  usually  been  written  of  as  father  and  son.  Some  MS.  notes 
left  by  Miss  Grace  Park,  daughter  of  Captain  James  Park  and  Grizel  Arbuthnot, 
which  have  been  preserved  at  Arbuthnot  House,  Peterhead,  state  that  Alexander, 
first  in  Rora,  had  a  son  John,  who  was  father  of  the  second  Alexander.  Possibly 
this  is  slightly  confirmed  by  the  appearance  of  a  mysterious  "  John  Arbuthnot 
in  Rora  "  in  1606  (distinct  from  the  Notary),  who  subscribed  a  bond  in  that  year 
(see  p.  147).  If,  however,  Alexander  Arbuthnot,  first  in  Rora,  only  married  in  1593, 
any  son  of  his  would  be  a  mere  boy  at  this  time.  One  might  suggest  that  he  was 
son  by  a  former  marriage,  but  this  is  going  rather  far  in  the  direction  of  mere 
guess-work.  Another  unexplained  "John  Arbuthnot  in  Rora"  had  a  daughter 
Margaret,  baptized  at  Longside,  6th  July,  1629,  and  all  attempts  to  locate  him 
on  the  pedigree  have  so  far  failed.  It  will  probably  never  be  possible  to  clear 
up  these  points  quite  satisfactorily.  The  facts  from  Miss  Park's  MS.  have  been 
kindly  communicated  by  the  Rev.  William  Arbuthnot  of  Stechford,  Birmingham. 

3  The  original  lease  is  in  the  possession  of  the  Rev.  William  Arbuthnot,  of 
Stechford,  Birmingham,  who  has  kindly  furnished  me  with  a  copy  of  it,  for  the 
purposes  of  this  book. 

4  Alexander  Arbuthnot  and  Elspet  Innes  are  buried  in  Longside  Churchyard, 
the  inscription  to  their  memory  running  as  follows  :  "  Here  lyes  the  Corpse  of 
Alexander  Arbuthnot  in  Rora,  and  Elspet  Innes,  his  spouse,  who  departed  this 
life  in  August,  1679 — the  other  in  December,  1681 — and  their  sons  John  and 
Alexander,"  etc. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    247 

I.  Nathaniel  of  Rora  and  Auchlee,  born  1654,  of  whom 

presently." 
II.  Andrew     of     Hatton,    baptized    at    Longside    28th 
August,  1665,  of  whom  presently 

III.  Robert  of  New  Seat,  St.  Fergus,  and  of  Torhendrie, 

baptized    at    Longside    4th     February,    1668,    of 
whom   presently. 

IV.  Alexander,   baptized    at  Longside  4th    May,   1670, 

died  young. 
V.  John,  whose  name  is  not  to  be  found  in  the  parish 
registers,    but   who,    according   to   Moir,    died   in 
infancy. 
I.  Margaret,  married  Alexander  Scott  of  Nether  Aden, 
and,   according  to   Moir,   was   "  maternal  grand- 
mother to  William  Seller  of  Scotsmill." 
II.  Grizel,  baptized  at  Longside  i6th    February,  1661, 

married  John  Hay  in  Savock. 
III.  Janet,  baptized    at  Longside  4th  December,   1672. 

The  second  son,  Andrew  Arbuthnot  of  Hatton,  commonly 
known  as  "  Laird  Andrew,"  on  account  of  his  having  purchased 
several  small  estates,  married  (8th  July,  1684)=  Mary,  daughter 
of  John  Dalgarno  of  Mill  of  Rora.  Moir  says  of  him  that  he 
was  "  a  respectable  man  of  dignified  appearance,  but  he  was 
perhaps  more  remarkable  for  his  sagacity  and  prudence  border- 
ing upon  parsimony,  than  for  generousity  or  benevolence  ; 
in  what  is  commonly  called  good  sense,  the  three  brothers  were 
alike  remarkable."  Andrew  Arbuthnot  purchased  and  farmed 
the  lands  of  Ludquharn  (previously  belonging  to  Alexander 
Forbes),  and  also  part  of  Invernettie.  By  Mary  Dalgarno  he 
left  issue  3 — 

I.  John,   baptized  at   Longside   6th  April,    1689. 
II.  Alexander,   baptized    at  Longside  23rd  November, 
1695  (witnesses,  John    Arbuthnot  and  Alexander 
Dalgarno,  both  in  Rora). 

'  The  date  of  Nathaniel's  birth  is  from  MS.  sources,  his  baptismal  entry  not 
having  been  found. 

=  The  information  and  dates  given  in  this  part  of  the  pedigree  are  very  largely 
from  MS.  sources,  and,  unfortunately,  no  definite  proofs  of  their  accuracy  can  be 
submitted.  Where  it  has  been  possible  to  corroborate  them,  the  writer  has  been 
careful  to  indicate  the  welcome  circumstance. 

3  Moir  states  that  he  had  in  all  thirteen  children,  but  only  names  five  of  them. 


248  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

III.  Andrew  of    Broadlands,  baptized  at    Longside  17th 

June,  1701  (witnesses,  Arthur  Dalgarno  of  Fortree 
and  John  Arbuthnot  in  Rora),  of  whom  presently. 

IV.  Nathaniel    of    Hatton,    Fraserburgh,    baptized     at 

Longside  6th  February,  1703,  of  whom  presently. 
I.  Janet,  baptized  at  Longside,  gth  June,  1685. 
II.  Elspet,  baptized   at   Longside    23rd  January,   1693 
(witnesses,  Alexander  Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall  and 
Nathaniel    Arbuthnot    in    Longside). 

III.  Mary,   baptized  at   Longside    22nd    October,   1694 

(witnesses,   John  and  Alexander  Dalgarno,  both 
at  Mill  of  Rora). 

IV.  Janet  (second  of    the  name),  baptized  at  Longside 

14th  September,  1697  (witnesses,  John  Arbuthnot 
and  Thomas  Couts,  both  in  Rora). 
V,  Margaret,  baptized  at  Longside  29th  July,  1698 
(witnesses,  as  the  last),  married  her  cousin, 
Dr.  Thomas  Arbuthnot,  second  son  of  her  uncle, 
Robert  Arbuthnot  of  New  Seat  (p.  275). 
VI.  Elspet  (second  of  the  name),  baptized  at  Longside 
13th  August,  1704  (witnesses  as  before),  married 
at  Peterhead,  27th  June,  1720,  Thomas  Forbes, 
"'  merchant,  Peterhead,  father  to  Andrew  Forbes, 
now  living  there."  ■ 

Nathaniel  Arbuthnot  of  Hatton,  Fraserburgh,  and  of 
Auchtidonald,  fourth  son  of  Andrew  Arbuthnot  of  Hatton 
and  Mary  Dalgarno,  was  baptized  at  Longside  6th  February, 
1703  (witnesses  being  Nathaniel  Arbuthnot  in  Longside  and 
John  Hay  in  Savock).  He  married  (20th  April,  1727)  Eliza, 
daughter  and  heiress  of  Eraser  of  Hatton,  and  died  6th  October, 
1783,  leaving  issue — 

I.  WilHam,  born  1729. 
II.  James,  born  1730,  died  unmarried. 

III.  Andrew,  born  1731. 

IV.  Nathaniel,  born  1733. 

V.  Nathaniel,  (second  of  the  name),  born  1739. 
VI.  Alexander,    baptized    at   Longside    ist    November, 
1742. 

'  John  Moir's  MS.  History,  181 5,  and  Peterhead  Marriage  Registers. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    249 

VII.   William    (second    of    the    name),   born   1748,   died 
unmarried. 
VIII.  Charles,  born  1750,  went  to  the  West  Indies,  and  on 
his  return  settled  at  Crichie,  and  married  Grizel, 
daughter  of  Andrew  Johnston  of  Aldie   (by  his 
wife  Ehzabeth  Park,  daughter  of  Captain  James 
Park    and    Grizel   Arbuthnot    (p.   275),  and   died 
s.p.  in  1812. 
I.  Sophia,   born   1728,   married   .  .  .   Scott,   and  died 
s.p.     She  was  living  in  1779,  when  the  will  of  her 
sister,  Mrs.  Dunbar,  was  recorded,  and  she  received 
a  legacy  of  £10. 
II.  Mary,  born  1734,  married  William  Dunbar  of  Grange. 
She  died  20th  May,  1778. 

III.  Margaret,  born  1736,  died  young. 

IV.  Ehzabeth,  born    1741,   married,  according   to   John 

Moir,  "  a  respectable  farmer  near  Ellon." 
V.  Elspet,  baptized  at  Longside  17th  May,  1744. 
VI.  Margaret,  married  WiUiam  Simpson,  shipmaster  in 

Aberdeen. 
VII.  Anna,  baptized  at  Longside  9th  July,  1745,  died 
2ist  January,  1823,  unmarried.  Buried  in  old 
Peterhead  Churchyard. 
VIII.  Marjory,  baptized  at  Longside  28th  March,  I747' 
died  4th  May,  1824,  unmarried.  Buried  in  old 
Peterhead   Churchyard.' 

Andrew  Arbuthnot  of  Broadlands,  third  son  of  Andrew 
Arbuthnot  of  Hatton  and  Mary  Dalgarno,  baptized  at  Longside 
17th  June,  1701,  married  Margaret  Eraser,  daughter  of  the 
Laird  of  Broadlands,  from  whom  Andrew  purchased  that 
estate  (now  known  as  Rattray,  in  the  parish  of  Crimond). 
They  had,  besides  a  daughter,  three  sons — 

I.  Andrew,  who  died  unmarried. 
II.  Nathaniel,  died  unmarried. 
III.  Charles. 

Nathaniel  Arbuthnot  of  Rora  and  Auchlee,  eldest  son  of 
Alexander  Arbuthnot  of  Rora  and  Elspet  Innes,  was  born 

•  John  Moir  also  mentions  a  daughter  Katherine,  married  to  "  Mr.  Gordon 
of  Fetterangus." 


250  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

in  1654,  and  married  (nth  June,  1678)  Elspet,  daughter  of 
Thomas  Duncan  of  Innervidie  and  Knockleith  (she  died 
in  1748)  and  died  in  1721/  having  had  issue,  it  is  said, 
twelve  sons,  only  five  of  whom  came  to  man's  estate. 
These  were — 

I.  Thomas  of  Rora,  the  "  Old  Bailie  "  of  Peterhead, 
born  1681,  factor  on  the  Marischal  estate,  of  whom 
presently. 
II.  Andrew  of  Nether  Mill  of  Cruden,  baptized  at  Long- 
tenant  side  8th  July,  1683.  He  was  in  1739 
at  Mill  of  Aden,  and  joint  factor  with  his  brother 
Thomas  for  Mary,  Countess  of  Erroll  in  her  own 
right.  He  was  commonly  called  "  Blind  Fortree." 
He  bought  the  lands  of  Aucharnie  in  the  parish 
of  Cruden.  In  1691  he  was  witness  to  a  registra- 
tion of  sasine  to  Alexander  Arbuthnot,  last  Laird 
of  Cairngall,  of  the  lands  of  Cairngall.'  In  i6g8 
he  got  sasine  on  a  wadset  by  the  Earl  Marischal  to 
him  of  three  ploughs  of  land  in  Rora,  under  rever- 
sion for  9,000  merks.5  In  1709  he  was  witness  to 
a  Renunciation  by  John  Arbuthnot  in  Rora  of 
the  town  and  lands  of  Mill  of  Creichie."  In  1716 
he  was  paying  14s.  6d.  to  the  Earl  Marischal's 
estate  for  his  house  in  Peterhead.'  Of  Andrew 
Arbuthnot,  who  died  at  an  unknown  date  s.p., 
Moir  writes  that  he,  "  like  his  brother  John, 
was  a  man  of  gigantic  height,  dignified  appear- 
ance, and  possessing  all  the  good  qualities  of 
his  brothers — with  a  mind  less  enhghtened  by 
education." 

'  His  will  was  registered  26th  June,  1724.  It  was  given  up  by  "  Thomas 
Arbuthnot,  merchant  in  Peterhead,  lawful  son  of  the  defunct."  His  other  sons, 
Andrew,  Alexander,  James,  and  John,  are  all  mentioned  by  name. — Aberdeen 
Testaments.  IMoir  tells  us  that  Nathaniel  was  "  a  man  of  graceful  appearance, 
fine  countenance  and  in  height  rising  considerably  above  the  common  size.  He 
was  respectable  for  his  integrity,  generousity  and  piety,  and  beloved  and  esteemed 
for  the  excellent  qualities  of  his  heart  and  understanding."  Nathaniel  Arbuthnot 
was  buried  at  Longside  23rd  December,  1721. 

'  Aberdeenshire  Sasines,  vol.   14. 

3  Ibid.,  vol.  16.  The  wadset  was  written  by  "  a  servitor  of  Robert 
Arbuthnot,  Chamberlain  to  the  said  Earl." 

1  Ibid.,  vol.  18. 

5  Forfeited  Estate  Papers  relating  to  the  Lands  of  the  Earl  Mariscal. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    251 

III.  Alexander,  Ulster  in  Peterhead,  baptized  at  Longside 
25th  January,  1687.  In  1716  he  was  paying 
I2S.  3d.  feu-duty  to  the  Earl  Marischal's  estate. 
In  1718  he  was  witness  to  a  deed  signed  by  his 
brother  Thomas."  Moir  states  that  Alexander 
"  was  not  inferior  to  any  of  his  brothers  in  those 
qualities  both  of  person  and  mind  which  we  have 
so  frequently  noticed  as  belonging  in  a  pecuhar 
manner  to  his  family  and  name."  His  will, 
dated  8th  January,  1739,  was  recorded  2nd 
November,  1742.'  He  married  first  a  daughter 
of  Ogilvy  of  Boyne,  by  whom  Moir  states  that  he 
had  several  children  (not  named),  and  secondly 
Mary,  daughter  of  Alexander  Scott  of  Auchli- 
donald,   by   whom  he  had  issue — 

(i)   James,  baptized  at    Peterhead    19th  May, 

1714  (Thomas  Arbuthnot  and  James 
Park  witnesses),  who  was  living  in  1739, 
but  dead  before  1742,  when  his  father's 
will  was  given  up. 

(2)  Alexander  (not  found  in  the  parish  registers) , 
a  merchant  in  London,  said  to  have  left 
issue. 

(i)   Anna,  baptized  at  Peterhead  18th  October, 

1715  (Thomas  Arbuthnot  and  James 
Park  again  witnesses),  buried  at  Longside 
31st  March,  1719,  aged  3-|. 

(2)  Janet. 

(3)  Elspet,  married  first  Captain   Somers,  and 

secondly  Sir  Thomas  Heron,  Bart. 3 

'  Forfeited  Estate  Papers  relating  to  the  Lands  of  the  Earl  of  Mariscal 
'  Aberdeen   Testaments.     He   appoints   his   four   brothers,    Thomas,    Andrew, 
James   and   John   to   be   his  executors.     A   witness   was   "  Thomas   Arbuthnot, 
chirurgeon,  in  Peterhead." 

3  Of  this  Elspet,  Moir  writes  as  follows  :  "  Mrs.  Somers  was  a  woman  of 
uncommon  beauty  and  elegance  of  person.  Walking  one  day  in  London  on  foot 
to  visit  a  friend  who  lived  in  her  neighbourhood,  she  had  occasion  to  pass  through 
a  bye-lane.  Here  she  met  a  chimney-sweep,  who,  struck  with  her  appearance, 
had  the  boldness  to  demand  a  kiss,  on  pain  of  having  her  fine  white  satin  robe 
bedaubed  all  over  with  his  sooty  sceptre.  The  lady,  reduced  to  this  singular 
dilemma,  and  finding  entreaties  in  vain,  thought  proper  to  comply  with  the  demand 
of  the  sable  prince." 


252        mp:mories  of  the  arbuthnots 

IV.  Robert,    baptized    at    Longside     29th     December, 

1693,  died  the  following  year. 
V.  Arthur,  baptized  at  Longside  28th  January,  1695, 

died  young. 
VI.  James  of  West  Rora,  baptized  at  Longside  26th 
October,  1697,  of  whom  presently. 
VII.  John,  in  Fortree,  baptized  at  Longside  21st  August, 
1704.  He  died  unmarried  at  the  Castle  of  Inve- 
rugie  in  1785,  and  was  buried  at  Longside  9th 
September  that  year,  aged  81.  Moir  says  of 
him  that  he  was  "  remarkable  for  his  uncommon 
height  {he  was  about  6  feet  6  inches  in  height) 
and  patriarchal  appearance  ;  for  his  benevolence 
and  gentleness  of  disposition,  and,  above  all, 
for  the  strict  integrity  and  unaffected  piety  of 
his  life.  As  a  scholar,  he  was  not,  perhaps, 
inferior  to  his  brother  James,  although  he  could 
not  communicate  his  knowledge  with  the  same 
facility  and  elegance." 
I.  Anne,  baptized  at  Longside  13th  April,  1691. 
II.  Janet  (not  found  in  the  parish  registers),  married 
first  John  Dalgarno  of  Mill  of  Rora,  and  secondly 
(at  Longside,  17th  June,  1714)  James  Park, 
merchant  and  shipowner  in  Peterhead.  It  was 
under  their  roof  that  the  Chevaher  de  St.  George 
spent  his  first  night,  after  landing  at  Peterhead 
in  December,  1715.' 

James  Arbuthnot  of  West  Rora,  the  sixth  son  of  Nathaniel 
Arbuthnot  and  Elspet  Duncan,  was  baptized  at  Longside 
26th  October,  1697.  Of  him  Moir  says  :  "  This  excellent 
man  received  a  classical  education,  which  he  improved  by 
assiduous  study.     Accustomed  to  associate  from  his  earliest 

I  It  is  doubtless  James  Park,  husband  of  Janet  Arbuthnot,  whose  tombstone 
confronts  one  in  the  churchyard  of  St.  Fergus.  There  we  learn  that  James  Park, 
"  sometime  Merchant  in  Peterhead,"  "  departed  this  Life  the  26th  May,  1739, 
and  of  his  Age  the  59th  Year."  Reading  on,  the  spectator  finds  himself  thus 
admonished  : 

Stay,  Passenger,  as  Thou  pass  by, 

As  thou  art  now,  so  once  was  I. 
As  I  am  now,  so  Must  Thou  be. 

Remember,  man,  that  Thou  must  Die. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    253 

years  with  the  best  famiHes  in  that  part  of  the  country, 
his  manners  were  those  of  an  accompHshed  gentleman.  His 
fine  countenance  and  graceful  deportment  indicated  the 
dignity  of  his  mind.  In  benevolence  of  heart,  suavity  of  temper, 
sincere  piety,  and  universal  good-will  to  mankind,  he  bore  a 
striking  resemblance  to  his  celebrated  namesake,  Dr.  John 
Arbuthnot.  As  a  farmer,  he  was  surpassed  by  none  of  his 
contemporaries.  He  was,  if  not  the  founder,  at  least  the 
principal  member  of  a  Farmer's  Society,  which  tended  greatly 
to  promote  the  advancement  of  agricultural  knowledge  in 
that  part  of  the  county  of  Buchan  ;  and  he  published  a  small 
volume,  on  the  modes  of  farming  adapted  to  Buchan,  which 
possesses  an  uncommon  degree  of  merit — considering  the 
period  at  which  it  was  written,  1736.  He  died  in  1770,  aged 
73,  at  Auchleuchries,  where  he  had  resided  for  some  years, 
having  left  the  farm  of  West  Rora  to  his  son  Nathaniel." 

A  poem  in  memory  of  James  Arbuthnot  was  composed 
by  the  Rev.  John  Skinner,  minister  of  Longside  and  author 
of  the  Ecclesiastical  History  of  Scotland.  It  is  to  be 
found  among  the  latter's  published  poems,  and  runs  as 
follows  : 

TO   THE   MEMORY   OF   A   V^ORTHY   FARIMER. 

What !     Shall  my  rural  muse  in  feeble  strain 

Of  pompous  deaths  and  titled  woes  complain. 

And  shall  she  be  asham'd  to  drop  a  tear 

In  public,  o'er  a  worthy  Farmer's  bier  ? 

A  Farmer  1  name  of  universal  praise. 

And  noble  subject  for  the  poet's  lays  : 

This  one,  a  Farmer  of  superior  mind, 

For  higher  spheres  from  earthly  youth  design'd. 

Taught  to  converse  with  men  of  rank  and  note, 

Yet  stooping  to  adorn  the  rural  cot  ; 

There,  calm  and  quiet  in  his  humble  state, 

Lov'd  by  the  good,  and  valu'd  by  the  great. 

Disdaining  flattery,  yet  without  offence. 

The  man  of  manners,  virtue,  grace  and  sense. 

In  Agriculture's  wide  extended  tract, 

Skill'd  and  instructive,  punctual  and  exact. 

Prudent  from  principle  in  every  part. 

Which  or  concerns  the  head  or  moves  the  heart. 

To  God  rehgious,  to  his  neighbour  just. 

And  strictly  honest  in  each  branch  of  trust ; 

Ne'er  jarring  from  himself,  but  still  the  same. 

Clear  in  his  thoughts  and  steady  in  his  aim. 

In  speech  engaging  and  in  taste  refin'd. 

The  farmer's  pattern  and  the  scholar's  friend. 


254  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

To  such  a  Farmer  surely  praise  is  due. 

And  all  who  knew  him  can  declare  it  true. 

Can  tell  how  uniform,  over  life's  vain  stage. 

He  stept  in  virtue's  paths  to  good  old  age. 

Fair  was  his  life,  and  blest,  we  hope,  his  end  ; 

To  each  good  man  may  Heav'n  such  mercy  send  ! 

Asks  any  reader  who  this  man  could  be, 

So  much  esteem'd  by  all  and  prais'd  by  me  : 

Know,  honest  friend,  that  in  thy  way  to  fame, 

A  Farmer's  footsteps  do  thy  notice  claim, 

And  James  Arbuthnot  was  that  Farmer's  name. 

The  inscription  on  the  tombstone  of  James  Arbuthnot, 
in  Longside  churchyard,  runs  as  follows  : 

"  S.M.  of  James  Arbuthnot  in  Rora,  an  affectionate  hus- 
band, a  tender  parent  and  faithful  friend.  Conspicuous  for 
benevolence  of  heart  and  integrity  of  conduct,  he  gained 
the  esteem  of  all.  Possessed  of  the  virtues  which  adorn  the 
man  and  the  Christian,  his  hfe  was  amiable  and  his  end  was 
peace.     He  dy'd  April  i6th,  1770,  aged  73. 

Happy  the  man  whom  God,  who  reigns  on  high. 
Hath  taught  to  live  and  hath  prepared  to  die  ; 
His  warfare  o'er,  and  run  his  Christian  race. 
Ev'n  Death  becomes  the  messenger  of  peace, — 
Dispels  his  woes,  then  wafts  his  soul  away. 
To  endless  glory  of  eternal  day. 

"  Here  also  lyes  in  hopes  of  a  blessed  immortality,  Margaret 
Gordon,  his  spouse.  An  affectionate  wife,  a  tender  mother, 
and  sincere  friend.  She  died  November  ist,  1783,  aged  84. 
Here  are  also  deposited  the  remains  of  Elspet  Arbuthnot, 
their  daughter,  an  amiable  young  woman,  who,  upon  the 
I2th  day  of  November,  1750,  in  the  21st  year  of  her  age, 
resigned  her  soul  to  God." 

James  Arbuthnot  married  in  1726  Margaret,  daughter  of 
Gordon  of  Mill  of  Fiddes  and  sister  of  Charles  Gordon  of 
Auchleuchries.  (She  died  ist  November,  1783,  aged  84.) 
By  her  he  had  issue— 

I.  James,  baptized  at  Longside  4th  November,  1726. 
(Witnesses,  John  Arbuthnot  and  John  Kidd.) 
This  James  settled  at  Middletown  of  Rora,  and 
married  his  cousin.  Christian  Eraser,  daughter 
of  Captain  A.  Eraser,  shipmaster  in  Peterhead 
(by  his  wife,  Christian  Arbuthnot,  daughter    of 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    255 

the  "  Old  Bailie,"  p.  272),  and  by  her  had  issue 
three  sons,  James,  John,  and  Alexander,  and  a 
daughter.  Christian,  who  all  died  young.  James 
Arbuthnot  himself  is  said  to  have  died  in  the 
flower  of  his  age,  and  John  Moir  writes  of  him  that 
"  he  was  a  man  of  an  excellent  heart  and  pleasing 
manners  ;  and  as  he  was  universally  beloved  by 
his  relations  and  friends,  so  his  premature  death 
was  long  and  deeply  regretted."  ' 
II.  Nathaniel,  baptized  at  Longside  3rd  May,  1734. 
(Witnesses  as  before.)  He  farmed  West  Rora 
during  his  father's  lifetime  and  died  unmarried. 

III.  Charles,   Abbot  of  Ratisbon,  baptized   at   Longside 

23rd  February,  1737.  (Witnesses,  William  Scot 
in  Aden  and  John  Arbuthnot  in  Fortree.)  Of 
him  presently.' 

IV.  John,  baptized   at  Longside  22nd  November,  1739. 

(Witnesses  as  in  the  last  case.) 
V.  Thomas,  baptized  at  Longside  25th  February,  1744. 
(Witnesses  not  named.)  He  became  a  merchant 
and  agent  of  the  Aberdeen  Bank  at  Peterhead. 
Of  him  Moir  says :  "We  shall  not  attempt 
to  delineate  the  character  of  this  truly  estimable 
man.  His  best  eulogium  is  written  in  the  hearts 
and  affection  of  all  who  ever  had  the  happiness 
of  knowing  him.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  he  is  a 
son  worthy  of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Rora."  Moir 
also  adds  that  he  had  two  sons,  who  died  in  early 
Hfe.  He  died  8th  April,  1820,  aged  76.  Buried 
in  old  Peterhead  Churchyard. 
I.  Mary,  baptized  at  Longside  14th  June,  1728. 
(Witnesses,  John  Arbuthnot  and  John  Kidd.)  She 
married  John  Moir  in  Kirktoun  of  Longside,  and  was 
mother  of  John  Moir,  printer  and  genealogist.  She 
was  buried  at  Longside  3rd  March,  1795,  aged  67. 

'  The  Rev.  John  Skinner  composed  a  poem  on  the  death  of  James  Arbuthnot, 
son  of  the  subject  of  his  previous  poem.     It  will  be  found  printed  in  Appendix  I. 

2  The  Latin  inscription  on  his  tombstone  at  Ratisbon  states  that  he  was  born 
at  Rora,  5th  March,  1737,  but  this  is  evidently  incorrect  as  to  the  month.  The 
entry  from  the  registers  of  Longside  is  as  follows  :  "  1737,  February  23rd.  James 
Arbuthnot  in  Rora  had  a  son  baptized  Charles."     Witnesses,  as  above. 


256  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

II.  Elspet,  baptized  at  Longside  23rd  February,  1730. 
(Witnesses,  James  Park  and  John  Arbuthnot.) 
She  died  12th  November,  1750,  in  her  21st  year, 
and  was  buried  at  Longside. 

III.  Margaret,  baptized  at  Longside   i8th   March,  1732. 

IV.  Elizabeth,  twin  with  Margaret. 

V.  Jean,   baptized    at    Longside   ist  September,   1733. 

(Witnesses,  John  Arbuthnot  and  John  Kidd.) 
VI.  Margaret,  second  of  the  name,  baptized  at  Longside 
17th  April,  1738,  married  her  cousin.  Captain 
Thomas  Arbuthnot  (p.  271),  merchant  and  ship- 
master at  Peterhead,  and  died  i6th  August, 
1816.  Buried  with  her  husband  in  Old  Peter- 
head Churchyard. 
VII.  Ehzabeth,  second  of  the  name,  baptized  at  Longside 
I2th  September,  1741. 

Charles,  third  son  of  James  Arbuthnot  of  West  Rora, 
baptized  at  Longside  28th  February,  1737,  was  a  very  distin- 
guished member  of  the  family.  He  was  brought  up  in  the 
Roman  Catholic  faith,  and  was  sent  to  Germany  at  the  age 
of  eleven,  to  be  educated  there.  He  afterwards  won  for 
himself  a  European  reputation  as  a  scientist,  mathematician 
and  chemist,  besides  being  renowned  for  his  piety,  learning, 
breadth  of  mind  and  benevolence  of  heart.  Some  original 
letters  of  his  are  extant,  addressed  to  his  parents  and  to  his 
brother  Thomas,  and  are  in  the  possession  of  the  Rev.  William 
Arbuthnot,  who  has  kindly  placed  them  at  my  disposal. 
In  the  first  of  these,  dated  from  Rotterdam,  "  September  the 
22  Day,  1748,"  he  tells  his  parents  that  he  has  followed  the 
advice  of  a  Mr.  John  van  Wingarden,  and,  instead  of  going  to 
Douai,  as  had  been  arranged,  is  accompanying  him  to  Ratisbon. 
He  says  he  was  "  twenty  days  at  sea,"  and  that  he  was  "  ex- 
cessive sic  all  the  wole  time."  He  was  only  eleven  when  this 
was  written,  and  the  spelling  is  rather  more  than  uncertain. 

The  next  letter,  dated  "  Ratisbone,  4th  December,  1752," 
runs  as  follows  : 

"  D^  Parents  ! 

"  I  was  very  much  astonished  to  be  informed  by 
Mr.  Robert  Leith  that  you  never  had  a  letter  from  me,  for 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  257 

I  assure  I  wrote  several  times  :  yet  at  the  same  time  I  am 
wholly  consolate,  to  tell  the  trouth,  I  was  not  a  little  affraid 
you  had  not  onl}^  forgot  me  quite,  but  also  very  angry  at  me 
for  the  fridome  I  took  in  coming  to  this  place  without  your 
knowledge,  which  (I)  confess  was  a  great  fault,  and  for  which 
I  crave  most  humble  pardon,  yet  I  must  attest  in  conscience, 
it  was  by  no  force  or  suasion  but  by  free  will  and  election  to 
follow  my  Commerades  I  was  in  hoUand  acquainted  with  : 
nor  have  I  the  least  reason  to  repent  since  I  came  to  this  place, 
I  have  not  only  kept  my  health  (God  be  blessed)  very  well, 
but  have  wanted  for  nothing,  which  could  be  necessary  for 
any  state  of  life  which  God  and  your  will  schall  be  pleased 
to  put  me  to  hereafter.  I  have  made  a  tolerable  progress 
in  my  studies  and  besides  have  learned  the  french  language 
as  Arithmetikes  and  Geometry,  and  that  to  the  satisfaction 
of  my  worthy  Superiors,  who  have  been  very  kind  to  me. 
I  pray  you  to  remember  me  to  all  good  friends  and  relations. 
So  begging  you  most  humble  to  consolate  me  as  soon  as  possible 
with  a  pair  of  lines,  recommending  myself  to  your  worthy 
prayers,  I  remain  till  death, 
"  D"^  Parents, 

"  Your  most  obedient  and  affectionate  son, 

"  Charles  Arbuthnot." 

These  interesting  letters,  covering  a  span  of  over  seventy 
years,  and  addressed  at  first  to  his  parents  and  latterly  to  his 
brother  Thomas,  are  too  numerous  to  be  inserted  in  full. 
A  few  extracts  have  therefore  been  chosen,  as  follows  : 

May  -2^th,  1753. 

"  D'^  Parents, 

"  Your  surprising  silence  has  been  very  grivious  to 
me  these  several  years,  I  not  having  the  comfort  of  an  answer 
to  all  the  lines  I  wrote  you  from  time  to  time,  wherefor  I 
beseech  you  again  and  again  at  this  occasion  (as  I  shpe  none 
to  schew  my  filial  duty)  to  honour  me  as  soon  as  possible  with 
a  scrape  of  your  pen,  and  to  informe  me  of  your  and  all  the 
rests  health,  nothing  in  this  side  of  time  being  more  dear  to 
me  than  to  hear  of  your  welfare,  which  is  the  subject  of  my 
daily  prayers.  ..." 

17 


258  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

July  2gth,  1754. — "  I  was  very  glad  to  have  this  fit  occasion 
of  the  worthy  bearer  (as  I  sUp  none)  to  make  offer  to  you  of 
my  fiUal  duty,  and  to  informe  you  of  my  well  being,  hoping 
from  the  bottom  of  my  Soul  to  hear  the  same  of  you  and  all 
good  friends  ;  for  1  must  confess,  I  am  quite  inconsolate  ; 
I  beseech  you  therefore,  for  the  love  of  God,  put  me  soon  out 
of  the  great  anxiety  I  am  in,  by  honouring  me  soon  with  some 
news  from  you.  ..." 

October  2^th,  1754. — "  To  tell  the  trouth,  I  was  quite  incon- 
solate never  to  hear  from  you  or  any  of  my  Dear  friends,  but 
at  the  reception  of  your  last  dated  21st  August,  1753,  which 
I  received  the  12th  of  this  :  I  am  confirmed  in  the  opinion 
I  allways  had  that  our  letters  miscarry  upon  the  road  :  for 
I  am  sure  I  have  write  you  above  five  or  six  letters  since  I 
have  been  here,  at  least  as  often  as  ever  I  had  occasion  without 
ever  having  a  scrape  of  a  pen  from  you.  My  dear  Fathers 
indisposition  of  health  afflicts  me  very  much,  and  his  recovery 
with  all  your  wellbeing  is  the  subject  of  my  daily  prayers.  ..." 

Up  to  this  time  it  seems  that  Charles  Arbuthnot  had  not 
been  specially  designed  for  the  priesthood.  In  a  letter  dated 
5th  August,  1756,  he  speaks  of  becoming  a  "  journeyman," 
and  as  entering  himself  as  an  apprentice  with  some  "  gentlemen" 
at  Ratisbon.  By  1757,  however,  he  had  definitely  chosen  a 
profession  more  congenial  to  his  natural  piety  of  mind,  and 
writes  as  follows  to  his  parents,  after  receiving  their  consent 
to  the  choice  he  had  made  : 

"  Ratisbone,  May  the  lifli,  1757. 

"  Dear  Parents, 

"  I  cannot  express  the  pleasure  yours  of  the  13th 
Sept.  gave  me.  Your  free  and  generous  consent,  in 
leaving  my  state  of  life  to  my  own  choice  drew  tears  of  joy  from 
my  eyes.  He,  and  he  only,  who  has  the  heart  of  man  at 
command,  could  inspire  you.  Dear  Parents,  with  such  noble, 
unbiassed  and  disinterested  sentiments.  I  can  assure  you, 
before  I  took  the  resolution  of  doing  what  I  have  done,  I 
begged  the  hving  God  most  earnestly  to  assist  me  mercifully 
in  my  choice,  not  once,  but  again  and  again  for  a  considerable 
time ;  before  I  entered  upon  my  present  situation.  And 
now,  I  thank  the  great  God,  far  from  repenting,  I  have  all 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  259 

the  contentement  and  satisfaction  any  poor  mortal  could  wish 

for,  in  this  side  of  time.     Nothing  could  be  an  addition  to  my 

present  happiness,  but  the  hearing  that  you,  my  Dear  Parents, 

and  my  brothers  and  sisters,  keep  your  health  :    Long    may 

you  live  and  happy  may  you  be,  both  here  and  hereafter, 

which  is  often  the  subject  of  my  serious  hours.     I  offer  my 

kindest    compliments    to    my    dearest    brothers    and    sisters, 

friends  and  Relations,  and  ever  am,  Dear  Parents, 

"  Your  most  humble,  obliged  and  most  dutiful  son  and 

servant,  ,,  ^ 

Charles  Arbuthnot. 

He  was  now  a  member  of  the  Benedictine  Order,  and  had 
become  an  inmate  of  the  Monastery  of  St.  James,  known  as  the 
Scots  College,  at  Ratisbon.  This  was  an  institution  founded 
and  maintained  for  the  purpose  of  educating  young  Scotsmen 
for  the  priesthood,  generally  with  the  idea  of  sending  them  back 
to  their  native  land  later  on  in  a  missionary  capacity.  Charles 
Arbuthnot,  however,  was  destined  to  spend  his  whole  life  at 
Ratisbon,  and  seems  only  once  to  have  paid  a  brief  visit  to 
Scotland,  in  1772. 

September  loth,  1759. — "  My  long  silence  may  appear  some- 
thing surprising  to  you,  but  I  beg  you'll  excuse  me  :  for  indeed 
I  would  have  long  ago  answered  yours  received  May  past, 
had  it  not  been,  that  I  expected  from  day  to  day  the  occasion 
of  a  young  Gentlemans  going  from  hence  to  Scotland,  whose 
departure  being  much  longer  deferred  than  I  forsaw,  caused 
me  keep  back  from  acquainting  you  of  my  present  condi- 
tion, which  you  and  all  my  friends  so  earnestly  desire.  I 
assure  you,  that  since  I  entered  this  state  of  life,  to  which  God 
has  been  pleased  to  call  me,  I  have  still  kept  my  health  so, 
that  never  any  sickness  has  caused  me  to  omit  my  duties  one 
single  day.  Therefore  I  beg  you,  dear  Parents,  also  all  other 
friends,  not  to  be  cast  down  or  anyways  anxious  for  my  sake. 
Ye  desire  to  have  soon  the  comfort  of  seeing  me  ;  but  this 
being  in  the  power  and  disposition  of  my  Superiours,  I  shall 
beg  the  Almighty  God  to  comfort  and  keep  you  in  good  health 
both  of  body  and  mind,  till  we  have  the  happiness  of  seeing 
one  another  in  this  Hfe,  and  afterwards  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  ..." 


260  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

On  the  I4tli  February,  1761,  he  was  ordained  priest, 
and  perhaps  on  that  occasion  received  the  name  of  "  Bene- 
dictus,"  by  which  he  was  always  known  in  the  Monastery, 
and  which  appears  on  his  tombstone  at  Ratisbon. 

May  Sth,  1761. — "  I  can  assure  you,  that  I  am,  and  have 
been  still,  in  perfect  good  health,  hving  here  in  all  satisfaction 
of  body  and  mind  ;  so  that  I  am  fully  convinced,  it  has  been 
bj'  divine  Mercy  and  providence  that  I  was  brought  hither, 
and  that  he  has  called  me  truly  to  the  state  of  life  I  at  present 
enjoy.  I  was  in  the  beginning  of  this  year  ordean'd  Priest ; 
and  since  the  dignity  of  this  State  requires  a  greater  Purity 
of  soul,  I  entreat  you,  D""  Parents,  to  recommend  me  earnestly 
to  God  in  your  holy  prayers  ;  as  I  can  assure  you,  that  as 
often  as  I  offer  up  to  his  Divine  Majesty  the  unspotted  sacrifice 
of  the  Body  and  Blood  of  his  only  begotten  son,  I  never  forget 
to  remember  you,  my  Brothers  and  Sisters  and  other  Relations, 
to  whom  I  humbly  beg  you  to  give  my  kind  compliments.  .  .  ." 

August  ^th,  1762. — "  I  see  you  would  willingly  see  me  in 
Scotland  ;  and  I  assure  you,  that  I  am  ready  with  all  my  heart 
to  come,  and  serve  my  country  as  much  as  hes  in  my  power  : 
But  since  you  know  as  well  as  I  do  that  it  is  not  in  my  power 
to  do  what  I  will,  but  that  I  must  obey  the  command  of  him 
to  whom  by  a  solemn  vow  I  have  subjected  myself,  therefore 
I  must  exspect  till  it  shall  please  God  to  inspire  him  with  the 
thoughts  of  sending  me.  .  .  ." 

August  4th,  1763.—"  I  told  you  in  my  last,  that  I  should 
be  very  glade  of  seeing  you  again,  and  I  here  repeat  it,  that  I 
should  certainly  not  delay  in  coming  if  I  could  only  obtain 
licence  of  my  Superior.  Therefore,  the  will  of  God  be 
done.  .  .  ." 

August  nth,  1767. — "  The  only  thing  I  desire  and  sigh 
after,  is  to  come  home  and  see  you  again,  and  to  serve  my 
native  country.  Yet  I  must  remain  here,  till  it  please  the 
Almighty  to  call  me  by  the  commands  or  lawful  permission 
of  those  whom  he  has  placed  over  me,  and  whose  will,  accord- 
ing to  my  call,  I  must  obey.  Don't  think,  therefore,  D" 
Parents,  that  any  other  thing  could  retain  me  longer  here, 
than  obedience  to  my  lawful  superiors.     God  preserve  you 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    261 

in  good  health,  till  it  please  heaven  to  fulfill  both  our  desires  ; 
and  if  it  should  not  be  in  this  side  of  time,  yet  I  hope  it  shall 
be  in   heaven.   ..." 

March  iSth,  1765.  (To  his  brother  Thomas,  who  was  seven 
years  younger  than  himself.) — "  This  is  to  acquaint  you  in 
a  few  lines  of  my  good  health,  and  to  wish  you  all  prosperity, 
health  and  joy,  and,  above  all,  the  grace  of  God  to  direct 
you  in  the  right  way  amongst  people  of  which  many  think 
little  on  their  maker,  others  again  offend  him,  as  if  he  were 
not  existent.  Continue  you  always,  my  Dear,  to  keep  the 
best  company  and  take  always  the  advice  of  prudent  men, 
and  I  hope  in  God  you  will  turn  out  to  be  a  brave  man.  I 
was  charmed  with  your  last  to  me,  seeing  there  your  good, 
innocent  principles  and  way  of  thinking,  which,  if  you  always 
retain,  all  will  turn  out  to  the  best.  This  shall  be  an  especial 
object  to  me  in  my  serious  hours.  .  .  ." 

January  12th,  Ty66.  (To  the  Same.) — "  If  you  be  well 
in  health  and  mind,  I  shall  be  extremely  glad  to  hear  it.  I- 
have  now  got  a  long  time  ago  no  letter  from  you,  for  the  last 
you  sent  me  seems  to  have  been  lost.  Be  pleased,  therefore, 
to  acquaint  me  of  yours  and  our  D'  Parents'  health  as  soon 
as  possible  ;  because  this  will  always  be  a  great  Comfort  to 
me,  to  hear  that  you  and  our  D'  Parents  and  relations  are  well. 
My  Dear  !  how  are  your  affairs  going  ?  In  all  you  do,  have 
God  before  your  eyes,  think  all  is  from  him  and  all  must  tend 
to  him.  Let  that  therefore  be  always  your  greatest  care, 
to  seek  him  whom  you  may  possess  eternally  ;  let  not  your- 
self be  drawn  astray  by  that  torrent  of  free  thinkers  whose 
heart  is  still  fixed  to  that  from  what  their  body  is  made  : 
who  in  no  other  things  distinguish  themselves  from  brutes, 
than  in  less  acknowledging  and  serving  their  Creator.  Fly 
such  compan}^  more  than  a  pest.  .  .  ." 

June  zgth,  1766.  (To  the  Same.)—"  The  last  I  received 
of  you  was  dated  4th  of  February,  where  you  pleased  to  write 
me  a  great  deal  of  news,  which  gave  me  much  comfort,  who 
have  been  already  so  long  absent  and  so  far  distant  from  that 
countrey  I  now  would  thank  heaven  to  see  again  ;  I  mean 
to  see  my  old  Dear  Parents,  you  and  the  rest  of  my  Brothers, 


262  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

Sisters  and  Relations.  God  knows  when  that  happy,  so  long 
expected  day  shall  come !  however,  the  will  of  God  be 
done.  .  .  ." 

September  lyth,  1767.  (To  the  Same.) — "  I  received  your 
last  in  due  time,  but  the  Reason  why  I  did  not  answer  it  sooner 
is  because  I  did  not  know  what  I  should  answer  to  that  Point 
concerning  my  being  acquitted  of  my  Office,  &c.  ;  Now  I 
must  acquaint  you,  that  I  foresee  nothing  less  than  any  such 
thing,  nor,  I  believe,  shall  I  obtain  licence  to  come  home  and 
see  you  and  the  rest  of  my  Friends  in  many  years,  which  is 
surely  a  most  grieving  thought  to  me  :  but  the  will  of  God 
be  done.  Who  knows  what  may  happen  on  a  sudden  ? 
Patience  and  good  will  is  the  best  at  present.  .  .  ." 

His  father,  James  Arbuthnot  of  West  Rora,  died  in 
1770,  and  Charles  Arbuthnot  writes  as  follows  to  his 
brother  : 

May  2gth,  1770. — "  I  duly  received  yours  of  the  igth 
of  May,  in  which  the  sincerity  of  your  mind  proves  you  to  be 
a  true  son  of  that  most  dear  and  loving  Father,  whose  death 
now  afflicts  me  to  the  utmost.  You  may  easily  conceive, 
dear  brother,  what  a  stroke  it  was  on  my  heart  when  I  remem- 
bered to  have  seen  the  tears  dropping  from  his  Eyes  on  that 
day  on  which  I  had  the  Pleasure  to  [see]  him  the  last  Time  at 
my  Departure.  Nothing  less  did  I  think  then  that  it  should 
be  the  last  time  I  should  see  him.  Now  I  can  think  nor  say 
anything  more,  than  that  it  [is]  the  work  of  the  hands  of  the 
Almighty,  whose  eternal  Decrees  nothing  shall  resist.  Dominus 
dedit ;  Dominus  ahstidit :  Sit  nomen  Domini  benedictnm. 
Let  us  now  join  in  prayers  that  his  soul  may  enjoy  that  eternal 
rest  which  our  blessed  Saviour  has  promis'd  to  those  who 
Serve  him  in  this  Life.  What  desire  do  I  not  feel  in  my  mind 
to  see  at  least  my  dear  Mother  !  yet  the  will  of  God  be  done. 
Let  us  endeavour  to  follow  the  good  Exemple  of  him,  of  that 
father  I  mean,  whose  glorious  memory  nothing  but  death 
shall  blot  out  of  my  heart.  .  .  ." 

In  his  next  letter,  still  addressed  to  his  brother  Thomas, 
he  alludes  to  his  share  in  his  father's  estate,  which  he  refuses 
to  accept. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  263 

May  ^th,  1771. — "  I  received  your  last  duly,  which  gave  me 
great  consolation  in  hearing  of  your  recovery  and  my  D' 
Mother's  welfare.  ...  I  am  much  obhged  to  my  D'  Mother 
and  you  for  thinking  on  me.  God  be  thanked,  I  have  not 
need  of  it,  therefore  share  the  whole  among  yourselves,  or, 
if  you  rather  will,  give  that  which  might  fall  to  my  share  to 
those  who  might  have  the  most  need  of  it, — thus  God  will 
be  honoured.  I  beg  dayly  the  Almighty  to  grant  my  D" 
Mother  long  health  and  contentment,  as  also  the  welfare 
of  you  all  is  the  dayly  object  of  my  serious  hours.  I  should 
have  great  satisfaction  of  seeing  you  all  again  ;  but  God 
knows  if  it  will  be  in  this  side  of  time.  Yet  I  hope,  till 
I  live.  .  .  ." 

In  1772  Charles  Arbuthnot  paid  a  short  visit  to  Scotland, 
and  in  1776  he  became  Abbot  of  St.  James's  Monastery,  Ratis- 
bon.  In  many  of  his  letters  he  asks  to  be  remembered  to  Mr. 
John  Skinner,  minister  of  Longside,  author  of  the  Ecclesiastical 
History  of  Scotland.  Writing  in  May,  1792,  he  says  :  "  Do 
not  forget  to  remember  me  to  Mr.  Skinner,  whom  I  esteem 
very  much  as  an  honest  man  and  a  good  old  friend.  Why 
should  I  be  offended  at  any  man  for  his  particular  way  of 
thinking  ?  his  book  stands  in  our  library,  and  is  still  interesting 
for  the  ancient  history  of  Scotland.  .  .  ." 

December  lyih,  1797. — "  What  are  you  saying  to  the  great 
preparations  of  the  french  to  invade  great  Britain  ?  I  suppose 
your  fears  are  not  so  great,  as  they  have  only  a  feeble  fleet 
to  support  their  landing.  .  .  ." 

November  ^th,  1798. — "  I  am  afraid  our  sufferings  are  not 
yet  at  an  end,  as  the  continuance  of  the  war  seems  at  present 
very  probable,  and  then,  God  knows  what  may  be  our  fate, 
as  the  impire  is  in  such  a  bad  state  of  defence,  which 
makes  our  state  very  critical  ;  we  must  rely  on  providence 
and  patiently  exspect  the  future.  .  .  ." 

We  get  some  glimpses  of  the  Abbot  of  Ratisbon  in  a  letter 
written  in  1785  by  a  distant  relation  of  his,  Robert  Arbuthnot, 
second  son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Haddo-Rattray,  who  was 
then  travelling  on  the  continent,  and  stayed  for  a  time  at 
Ratisbon.     It  is  addressed  to  his  father  and,  after  describing 


264  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

the  round  of  gaiety  in  which  he  found  himself,  which  left  him 
little  time  to  read  or  write,  he  refers  to  the  Abbot  as  follows  : 
"  He  is  the  universal  favourite  of  everybody  here,  particularly 
of  the  Ladies,  who  form  no  parties  without  their  '  cher  Prelat.' 
He  is  indeed  a  most  agreeable,  good-natured  man.  He  ex- 
presses himself  with  some  difficulty  in  English,'  which  is  a 
little  against  him,  but  he  is  possessed  of  great  good  sense 
and  considerable  learning,  particularly  in  natural  philosophy 
and  mathematics,  in  which  he  is  allowed  to  be  superior  to 
any  person  in  Bavaria.  He  is  likewise  eminently  skilled  in 
another  science,  which  is  at  present  more  useful  to  him,  and 
which  he  practices  more  than  the  other — I  mean,  playing  with 
remarkable  skill  at  all  games  of  cards,  principally  at  Ombre, 
at  which  he  is  very  fortunate."  Robert  Arbuthnot  goes 
on  to  relate  that  the  Abbot  "  goes  every  evening  to  the 
Assemblies  or  to  the  Opera,"  and  remarks  that,  "  I  daresay 
if  St.  Benedict  were  to  come  ahve,  he  would  be  a  good 
deal  surprised  to  see  one  of  his  Abbots  lead  so  gay  a  life. 
In  general,  the  Religious  in  Germany  are  allowed  much 
more  liberty  than  in  France,  where  no  Monk  is  ever  seen, 
at  least  publickly,  at  the  Playhouse,  but  here  nothing  is 
more  common,"  etc- 

In  1800  the  poet  Campbell  visited  Ratisbon,  and  stayed 
for  a  short  time  at  the  Monastery  of  St.  James.  As  was 
natural,  the  sentiment  there  was  ardently  Royalist,  and 
we  learn  that  some  of  Campbell's  views  were  very  ill  received 
by  certain  members  of  the  fraternity.  "  His  political 
sentiments  had  been  avowed  with  rather  more  freedom 
than  discretion.  One  of  the  Monks,  at  least,  denounced 
him  as  a  rank  republican  ;  others,  though  more  cautious  in 
their  expressions,  were  not  more  kindly  in  their  private  esti- 
mate of  the  stranger.  But  the  worthy  President  was  his 
friend  to  the  last ;  nor  in  after  life  did  Campbell  ever  mention 
the  name  of  Arbuthnot  but  in  terms  of  respect  and  gratitude. 
He  never  forgot  a  kind  intention  nor  the  author  of  a  kind 
act ;    and   it   is    pleasing    to    recognize  the  portrait   of  this 

I  The  Abbot  having  left  Scotland  at  the  age  of  eleven,  German  had  become 
much  easier  to  him  than  his  native  tongue. 

s  The  original  letter,  dated  "  Ratisbonne,  April  30th,  1785,"  is  in  the 
possession  of  Mr.  Charles  George  Arbuthnot  of  69,  Eaton  Square. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    265 

venerable  friend  faithfully  traced  in  one  of  his  later  poems — 
"  The  Ritter  Bann  "  : 

There  enter'd  one  whose  face  he  knew, 

Whose  voice,  he  was  aware. 
He  oft  at  mass  had  hstened  to 

In  the  holy  house  of  prayer. 
'Twas  the  Abbot  of  St.  James'  Monks, 

A  fresh  and  fair  old  man  : 
His  reverend  air  arrested  even 

The  gloomy  Ritter  Bann,  etc' 

The  Rev.  Thomas  F.  Dibdin/  who  visited  Ratisbon  in 
1818,  gives  an  interesting  description  of  the  old  Monastery, 
which  had  some  unique  architectural  features,  and  continues 
as  follows  : 

"  But  if  the  entire  college,  with  the  church,  cloisters, 
sitting-rooms  and  dormitories,  was  productive  of  so  much 
gratification,  the  contents  of  these  rooms,  including  the  members 
themselves,  were  productive  of  yet  greater.  To  begin  with, 
the  head,  or  President,  Dr.  C.  Arbuthnot :  one  of  the  finest  and 
healthiest-looking  old  gentlemen  I  ever  beheld — in  his  eighty- 
second  year.  I  should  however  premise,  that  the  members 
of  this  college — only  six  or  eight  in  number  and  attached  to 
the  interests  of  the  Stuarts — have  been  settled  here  almost 
from  their  infancy  ;  some  having  arrived  at  seven,  and  others 
at  twelve,  years  of  age.  Their  method  of  speaking  their  own 
language  is  very  singular  ;  and  rather  difficult  of  compre- 
hension. Nor  is  the  French,  spoken  by  them,  of  much  better 
pronunciation.  Of  manners  the  most  simple,  and  apparently 
of  principles  the  most  pure,  they  seem  to  be  strangers  to  those 
wants  and  wishes  which  frequently  agitate  a  more  numerous 
and  polished  estabhshment ;  and  to  move,  as  it  were,  from 
the  cradle  to  the  grave. 

The  world  forgettting,  by  the  world  forgot." 

In  the  last  extant  letter  from  Abbot  Charles  Arbuthnot 
to  his  brother  Thomas,  dated  March  28th,  i8ig,  he  writes : 
"  Two  days  ago  I  was  favoured  by  yours  of  the  loth  current, 

'  Life  and  Letters  oj  Thomas  Campbell,  edited  by  W.  Beattie,  vol.  i.  pp.  287-8, 
Edward  Moxon,   London,   1849. 

=  See  his  Bibliographical,  Antiquarian,  and  Picturesque  Tour  in  France  and 
Germany,  vol.  iii.,  Supplement,  p.  xi.,  London,  1821. 


266  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

by  which  I  was  much  satisfied  to  learn  that  you  are  still  in 
good  health.  We  are  now  both  in  a  pretty  advanced  age, 
and  the  only  remnant  children  of  our  family.  My  health 
at  present  is  in  a  passible  good  state,  although  I  begin  to 
feel  the  weight  of  advanced  age,  and  have  suffered  this  winter 
much  by  reumatical  pains  ;  my  memory  is  also  much  impaired  ; 
yet  I  have  reason  to  thank  eternal  Providence  for  my  present 
situation.  As  the  spring  and  summer  are  now  advancing, 
I  hope  they  shall  be  beneficial  to  my  health  ;  the  will  of  God 
be  done  !   .  .  ." 

The  Abbot  died  19th  April,  1820,  and  a  Httle  later  in  the 
year  it  happened  that  Thomas  Campbell  found  himself  again 
at  Ratisbon.  He  writes  :  "  My  first  visit  was  to  the  Scotch 
College — a  dismal  visit !  Of  all  the  monastery  there  are  only 
two  survivors  out  of  a  dozen,  whom  I  knew.  I  first  inquired 
for  the  worthy  prelate,  who  had  shown  a  fatherly  kindness 
to  me  when  I  was  here.  He  died,  they  told  me,  last  April, 
between  eighty  and  ninety  years  of  age.  I  scarcely  imagined 
that  the  news  of  an  old  man's  death  could  have  touched  me  so 
much  ;  but  I  could  not  help  weeping  heartily  when  I  recalled 
his  benevolent  looks  and  venerable  figure,  and  found  myself 
in  the  same  Hall  where  I  had  often  sat  and  conversed  with  him 
— admiring,  what  seemed  so  strange  to  me,  the  most  liberal 
and  tolerant  religious  sentiments  from  a  Roman  Catholic 
Abbot.  Poor  old  Arbuthnot !  It  was  impossible  not  to  love 
him.  All  Bavaria,  they  told  me,  lamented  his  death.  He 
was,  when  I  knew  him,  the  most  commanding  human  figure 
I  ever  beheld.  His  head  was  then  quite  white ;  but  his 
complexion  was  fresh,  and  his  features  were  regular  and  hand- 
some. In  manners,  he  had  a  perpetual  suavity  and  benevo- 
lence. I  think  I  still  see  him  in  the  Cathedral,  with  the  golden 
cross  on  his  fine  chest,  and  hear  his  full,  deep  voice  chanting 
the  service."  ■ 

John  Moir,  who  was  the  Abbot's  nephew,  writes  of  him  that 
he  was  "  a  man  revered  for  his  piety,  eminent  for  his  learning, 
and  accounted  one  of  the  best  mathematicians  in  Germany, 
having  repeatedly  carried  off  the  first  prizes  from  the  German 
Academies  for  solving  mathematical  problems.   Like  his  father, 

«  Seattle's  Life  and  Letters  of  Thomas  Campbell,  vol.  ii.  pp.  374-5,  Edward 
Moxon,  Loudon,   1849. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    267 

the  Abbot,  even  at  the  advanced  age  of  So  years,  is  remarkable  ' 
for  the  dignity  of  his  person,  and  the  benevolent  openness  of  his 
countenance,  which  might  serve  as  a  model  for  the  statuary  ; 
and  so  much  is  this  amiable  man  beloved  by  the  most  illus- 
trious German  Princes,  that  when  the  Diet  of  Ratisbon  had 
determined,  at  the  instigation,  or  rather,  command,  of  the 
tyrant  Napoleon  Buonaparte,  to  secularize  all  the  church  lands 
of  the  Empire,  an  express  exception  =  was  made  in  favour  of 
the  Scots  College  of  Ratisbon.  Upon  this  occasion,  the  Abbot 
addressed  so  affecting  a  memorial  to  the  Diet  that  it  drew 
tears  from  the  eyes  of  all  present."  ^ 

Above  the  tombstone  of  Abbot  Arbuthnot,  which  Fischer 
states  to  have  been  removed  from  the  churchyard  in  1890 
to  the  cloisters  of  the  monastery,  is  the  following  Latin 
inscription  : 

In  Pace  Christi 

Sepultus  Heic  Quiescit 

Illustriss.  AC  Reverendiss.  Dominus 

Benedictus  Arbuthxot, 

Monasterii  ad  S.  Jacobum  Scotorum 

Ratisbon.^  Ordinis  S.  Benedicti  Abbas. 

Natus  Est  5.  Marth   1737. 

Proeessus  21  Nov.   1756. 

Sacerdos  14  Febr.  17O1 

Abbas  Electus  4  Junii  1776. 

Mortuus  19  Aprilis  1820. 

R.I. P. 

Memori.e 

viri  o.mnibus  summe  vlc.nekandi 

Suis  Desideratissimi 

Cenotaphtum 

In  Proximo  S.  Jacobi  Templo  Erectum 

E.\TAT.4 

»  This  was  written  in   1815,  while  the  .\l)bot  was  still  living. 
•  This  exception  secured  the  revenues  of  the  College  only  during  the  life  of 
the  Abbot. — Original  note  to  John  Moir's  MS. 

3  A  few  particulars  of  Abbot  Arbuthnot  are  given  in  Fischer's  Scots  in 
Germany.  In  a  note  to  p.  150,  the  author  writes  :  "  In  1775,  he  obtained  a  prize 
for  a  chemical  essay.  See  Publ.  of  the  R.  Bavarian  Ac.  of  Sc.  ix.  410,  436.  See 
also  vols.  vii.  and  viii.  A  good  portrait  of  Arbuthnot  is  to  be  seen  in  the  library 
of  the  Benedictine  Abbey  at  Fort  Augustus." 

4  The  cenotaph  mentioned  in  this  inscription  consists,  says  Fischer,  "  of  a 


268  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

Thomas  Arbuthnot,  known  as  "  the  Old  Bailie  of  Peter- 
head," eldest  son  of  Nathaniel  Arbuthnot  and  Elspet  Duncan 
(p.  250),  was  born  in  1681.  He  became  factor  on  the  Marischal 
estate,  and  here,  once  more,  the  tragedy  and  magic  of  the 
'15  lie  right  across  our  page.  It  was  the  enthusiasm  and  energy 
of  Thomas  Arbuthnot  that  rallied  the  tenants  on  the  Marischal 
estate  to  the  standard  of  James  VIII.  For  this  he  remains 
famous  in  the  annals  of  Peterhead,  and  when  we  reach  his 
name  we  are  transported  at  once  into  the  tumult  and  excite- 
ment of  those  stirring  times.  We  hear  the  dull  thud  of  march- 
ing troops,  and  the  slogans  of  the  clans.  We  see  through  the 
mists  of  a  grey  December  day  a  stranger  landing  at  Peterhead, 
— he  whom  historians  call  the  ChevaHer  de  St.  George,  but  who, 
in  the  minds  of  some  of  us,  is  saluted  by  a  title  other  than  this. 
The  Chevalier — to  bow  to  historical  opportunism — landed 
and  slept  the  first  night  at  the  house  of  Captain  Park,  who  had 
married  Janet  Arbuthnot,  daughter  of  Alexander  Arbuthnot 
in  Rora  (p.  252).  The  following  day  a  concourse  of  noblemen 
and  gentlemen  hastened  to  attend  him,  and  he  proceeded  to 

red  marble  slab  on  the  inner  wall  of  the  church,  south  side."     It  has  the  following 
inscription :  ♦ 

SiSTE  Viator  Gradum.  Memoriam  Piam  Sibi  Merito 

ExPOSCiT  Illustris  Vir  Ac  Revmus  D. 

Benedictus  Arbuthnot 

Hujus  Monasterii  Abbas. 

Natus  fuit  in  Scotia  die  5.  mens.  Martii  anno  MDCCXXXVII  in  bono  paterno 
Rora  comitatus  Aberdonens  ;  puer  1 1  annor,  Ratisbonum  venit  ibique  in  hujus 
Monasterii  seminario  studiis  humanior.  absolutus  vota  solemnia  emisit  S.  Benedicti 
regulam  professus  die  21  Nov.  anno  MDCCLVI,  presbyter  die  14  Febr,  anno 
MDCCLXI  ordinatus  susceptum  Seminarii  directionem  non  minore  diligentia  ac 
utilitate  gessit,  simulque  confrates  atque  exteros  Philosophiani  et  Mathesin  docuit 
per  16  fere  annos,  donee  die  4  Junii  MDCCLXXVI  Abbas  eligeretur.  Quo  in 
munere  maxime  rerum  gerendar.  dexteritate,  miraque  in  tantis  temporum  periculis 
prudentia  omnium,  quos  subditos  aut  superiores  habuit,  animos  in  Sui  venerationem 
et  amorem  attraxit,  sincera  pietate,  vitas  integritate,  morum  candore,  modestia 
et  affabilitate  devinctos  tenuit,  multimoda  doctrina  Scriptis  etiam  in  vulgus 
editis  probata  nominis  celebritatem,  quam  ipsi  nunquam  quEesivit  ab  aliis  meritus 
dignusque  habitus,  quern  Academia;  Scient.  Socium  eligerent.  Tandem  coelo 
maturus  venerandus  Senex  ex  hac  mortali  vita  discessit  die  19  mens.  April  anno 
MDCCCXX  sepultus  in  communi  cemeterio  extra  portam  S.  Jacobi. 

Grati  animi  indicem  et  sanctse  memoriee  testem  isthunc  lapidem  posuerunt 
fratres  desolati. 

For  the  above,  see  The  Scots  in  Germany,  by  Thomas  A.  Fischer,  Appendix, 
p.  300-1. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    269 

Newburgh.  Then  followed  the  disastrous  chain  of  events 
familiar  to  all  of  us,  culminating  in  the  retreat  upon  Montrose 
and  the  hurried  departure  of  the  Chevalier  to  France,  accom- 
panied by  the  Earl  of  ]\Iar  and  others.  The  Jacobite  army, 
which  had  been  led  to  believe  that  tlie  march  to  Montrose  had 
been  arranged  in  order  to  meet  large  reinforcements  hourly 
expected  from  France,  found  itself  without  a  commander 
and  abandoned  to  its  fate,  while  its  leaders  provided  for  their 
own  safety.  If  it  was  necessary  to  resort  to  this  expedient 
to  save  the  Prince,  what  are  we  to  say  to  the  action  of  Lord 
Mar  in  abandoning  those  who  had  rallied  to  the  standard  at 
his  call,  and  who,  from  the  first,  had  all  to  lose  and  nothing  to 
gain  from  the  failure  or  success  of  the  expedition  and  a  change 
of  dynasty  that  could  scarcely  concern  them  ?  Lord  Mar's 
Journal  makes  the  best  excuse  he  can  for  his  desertion  of  the 
troops  under  his  command.  He  states  that  he  left  with  great 
regret,  and  in  obedience  to  the  express  commands  laid  upon  him 
by  the  Chevaher.  It  may  be  doubted  whether  such  subser- 
viency as  this  has  always  been  accorded  to  kings-regnant ; 
we  may  notice  that  no  such  blind  submission  was  shown  to 
Prince  Charlie  at  Derby  in  1745,  when  he  wished  to  push  on 
to  London,  and  his  foUowers,  to  a  man,  insisted  upon  retreat. 
A  better  excuse  is  to  be  found  in  the  behef  that  the  army 
would  secure  better  terms  from  the  English  Government  if 
its  leader  withdrew  himself  altogether,  since  there  could  be 
no  peace  or  mercy  granted  while  he  remained  at  large  in  Scot- 
land. Be  our  verdict  what  it  may,  we  can  call  to  mind  a 
different  example  in  the  person  of  George,  tenth  and  last  Earl 
Marischal,  to  whose  noble  mind  the  sufferings  of  the  humbler 
members  of  the  expedition  were  as  acutely  present  as  the  duty 
he  owed  his  Prince.  He  proudly  refused  to  leave  the  country, 
and  took  to  the  mountains  with  his  men,  his  words  to  James 
being  :  "  Your  Majesty  must  take  care  of  yourself  for  the 
sake  of  your  friends.  I  am  going  to  share  the  misfortunes 
of  those  of  them  who  remain  in  Scotland  ;  I  shall  gather  them 
together  again  and  shall  not  leave  without  them."  ■ 

It  was  surely  the  duty  of  John  Earl  of  Mar  to  remain  with 
those  he  had  conducted  to  ruin,  until  every  man  had  been 

I  The  Book  of  Bitchan,  edited  by  J.   F.  Tocher,  p.   353,  The  Buchan  Club, 
Peterhead,  1910. 


270  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

dispersed,  even  if  the  certainty  of  the  scaffold  lay  before  him. 
Nor  can  some  writers — Mrs.  Thomson  among  them — quite 
forgive  the  Chevalier  himself  for  the  circumstances  that 
attended  his  departure.' 

After  the  '15  the  estate  Marischal  was  forfeit  to  the 
English  Government,  but  Thomas  Arbuthnot  seems  to  have 
been  continued  in  his  office  of  factor.  In  1716  he  is  mentioned 
as  "  present  factor  on  the  estate  of  Marischal,"  and  himself 
paid  in  that  year  4s.  6d.  feu-duty  for  houses  in  Peterhead.* 
He  also  acted  as  factor  for  John  Arbuthnot  in  Rora,  and  paid 
for  him  in  the  same  year  28  bolls  of  meal  and  £14  8s.  lod. 
of  rent.  He  also  paid  for  "  Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall "  J 
7  bolls  two  firlots  of  meal  in  name  of  teind. 

An  entry  among  the  Forfeited  Estate  Papers  runs  as 
follows  : 

"  1720,  September  2  Money  received  from  Thomas 
Arbuthnot,  late  factor  on  the  estate  of  Earl  Marischal  in 
Buchan,  crop  1718  : — among  others,  the  rent  of  Rora  possessed 
by  him  and  his  brother,  but  denies  receipt  of  it,  it  being  paid 
by  the  compter's  brother  to  Mr.  Alexander  Barclay,  a  creditor 
on  the  estate."  From  this  entry  we  gather  that  Thomas 
Arbuthnot  had  retired  from  his  office  of  factor  before  1720. 

Moir  says  of  the  Old  Bailie  that  "  he  was  a  man  of  genteel 
appearance,  of  great  respectability  of  character,  and  possessing 
an  uncommon  share  of  good  sense  and  sagacity." 

In  his  father's  will,  registered  26th  June,  1724,  he  is  named 
executor  with  his  brothers  Andrew,  Alexander,  James  and 
John. 

The  failure  of  the  '15  did  not  deter  Thomas  Arbuthnot, 
when  in  his  65th  year,  from  throwing  all  his  energies  into 
the  support   of   Prince   Charlie's   cause  in   1745.     His  name 

1  Certainly  the  deception  with  which  this  flight  was  carried  out,  together 
with  the  preceding  cruel  and  useless  decision  to  burn  the  villages  of  Auchterarder, 
Crieff,  Blackford,  Denning,  and  Muthel,  have  left  an  indelible  stain  on  the  memory 
of  James  Stuart.  The  burning  of  these  villages  in  no  way  hindered  the  advance 
of  the  Duke  of  Argyll's  troops,  and  merely  consigned  some  hundreds  of  unfortunate 
villagers — including  old,  bedridden  people  and  small  children — to  death,  some 
in  the  flames,  some  in  the  snow  and  cold  of  that  bleak  year.  The  misery  of  these 
poor  people  undoubtedly  pre3^ecl  upon  James's  mind,  and  Lord  Mar  excuses  it  as 
best  he  can  in  his  Journal. 

2  Forfeited  Estate  Papers  relating  to  the  Lands  of  the  Earl  Marischal. 
I  This  would  be  Alexander,  the  last  Laird. 


THE    ARBUTHNOTS    OF    ABERDEENSHIRE    271 

appears  in  the  list  of  rebels  subsequently  published,  wherein 
he  is  said  to  have  "  accepted  a  factory  from  the  rebels  of  the 
estate  Marshall  forfeited  in  the  year  1715,  by  virtue  whereof 
he  called  in  the  tenants  and  uplifted  some  of  the  farms  for 
the  rebels,  and  exerted  himself  to  the  utmost  of  his  power  in 
that  service."  ' 

Thomas  Arbuthnot  died  24th  March,  1762,  aged  81,  having 
married  Christian,  daughter  of  WiUiam  Young,  merchant  of 
Peterhead,  and  by  her  (who  died  8th  February,  1740)  had 
issue — 

I.  James,  known  as  "  the  Young  Bailie,"  born  1710, 
of  whom  presently. 
II.  Thomas  (Captain),  born  1725,  who  was  in  the  navy, 
but  deserted  in  1745  to  join  Prince  Charhe.  He 
was  present  at  Culloden,  where  he  held  a  lieuten- 
ant's commission.  To  him  Prince  Charlie  presented 
the  miniature  of  himself  which  is  now  in  the 
possession  of  the  Rev.  WilUam  Arbuthnot  of 
Stechford,  Birmingham,  an  engraving  of  which 
will  be  found  facing  p.  418.  Moir  says  that 
he  "  possessed  uncommon  mechanical  and  nautical 
talents,  but  he  was  still  more  esteemed  for  the 
higher  qualities  of  the  heart  ;  a  benevolence  of 
disposition  and  warmth  of  attachment  that  made 
him  deem  no  sacrifice  or  personal  exertion  painful, 
when  he  had  it  in  his  power  to  promote  the  happi- 
ness of  his  friend."  After  Culloden  he  escaped 
to  France,  but  receiving  a  free  pardon  in  1752, 
he  returned  to  Peterhead,  where  he  became  pro- 
prietor of  a  vessel  trading  to  the  West  Indies, 
and  married  in  1766  his  cousin,  Margaret,  daughter 
of  James  Arbuthnot  of  West  Rora  (p.  256). 
She  died  i6th  August,  1816,  and  he  ist  December, 
1773,  having  had  issue — 

(i)  James,  (Doctor)*   of  Richmond  Hill,  Peter- 
head, born  1767,  married  (at  Peterhead, 

'  Henderson's  Aberdeenshire  Epitaphs,  p.   369 

>  Moir  says  of  this  James  Arbuthnot  that  he  "  may  justly  be  considered  as 
the  benefactor  of  Peterhead.  Observing  that  this  town,  though  a  watering 
place,  was  almost  entirely  destitute  of  a  beach  for  bathing,  from  the  rockiness  of 


272  MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

1st  July,  1799)  Grace,  daughter  of  Buchan 
of  Auchmacoy,  sister  of  Mrs.  Thomas 
Arbuthnot  of  Nether  Kinmundy  (p.  273). 
She  died  i6th  February,  1818,  and  he 
9th  February,  1829,  in  his  62nd  year, 
leaving   no   issue. 

(2)  Thomas,  born  1770,  went  to  sea  and  died 

in  his  2ist  year,  29th  December,  1790. 

(3)  Adam,  born  22nd  September,  1773,  was  a 

merchant  in  Peterhead  and  founder  of 
the  Arbuthnot  Museum  there,  which  has 
been  enlarged  since  his  time  and  forms 
a  most  interesting  collection  of  antiques 
and  curios.  He  died  4th  October,  1850. 
(i)  Margaret,  born  in  April,  died  17th  July, 
1768,  aged  three  months. 

(2)  Christian,  born  1771,  married  George  Gordon 

of  Auchleuchries  and  died  in  1828,  leaving 
issue.' 

(3)  Helen,  married  Dr.  Alexander,  and  had  issue. 

ni.  Nathaniel,  died  in  infancy. 

I.  Jean,   baptized  at    Longside   5th    December,   1706. 

She  married  (at  Peterhead,  28th  October,  1731) 

her    cousin,    Thomas,    son    of    John    Arbuthnot 

of   Whitehill    (p.  282). 

II.  Elspet,   baptized   at   Longside    5th    October,    1708. 

III.  Christian,  baptized  at  Peterhead  17th  October, 
1712,  married  (at  Peterhead,  20th  November, 
1735)  Captain  Alexander  Fraser,  shipmaster  in 
Peterhead,  and  had  issue.= 

its  surrounding  shores,  he  excavated,  at  great  labour  and  expense,  two  of  the 
noblest  basins  perhaps  in  Britain,  cut  out  of  the  solid  rock — one  for  gentlemen, 
90  feet  by  30,  the  other  for  ladies,  40  feet  by  20,  filled  with  fi'esh  water  every  tide. 
He  has  likewise  erected,  at  his  own  expense,  all  kinds  of  warm  baths,  and  super- 
intended, as  engineer,  the  improvement  of  the  piers  and  harbour  of  Peterhead. 
Mr.  Arbuthnot  is  also  an  excellent  chemist  and  naturalist."  James  Arbuthnot 
was  author  of  An  Historical  Accoimt  of  Peterhead,  1815,  and  An  Estimate  for  a 
Breakwater  across  the  Bay  of  Peterhead,   1814. 

I  A  daughter  of  hers,  Margaret  Gordon,  married  Ogilvy  Wills,  banker,  and 
was  mother  of  Eleanor  Jane  Ogilvy- Wills,  wife  of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Invernettie 
(p.  285). 

s  Her  daughter.  Christian  Fraser,  married  James,  eldest  son  of  James 
Arbuthnot  of  West  Rora  (p.  254). 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  273 

IV.  Anna,  baptized  at  Peterhead  8th  February,  1715. 
She  married  William  Scott,  merchant  in  Peterhead. 
V.  Mary,  baptized  at  Peterhead  loth  August,  1718. 

VI.  Margaret,  baptized  at  Peterhead  17th  September, 
1720.  She  married  (at  Peterhead,  8th  October, 
175 1)  Bishop  Robert  Kilgour,  and  died  22nd 
February,  1805,  leaving  issue.  She  lies  buried, 
with  her  husband,  in  old  Peterhead  Churchyard. 
VII.  Isobel,  baptized  at  Peterhead  13th  February,  1725, 
married  (at  Peterhead,  i6th  January,  1752) 
William  Ferguson,  shipmaster  at  Peterhead. 

James  Arbuthnot,  eldest  son  of  the  "  Old  Bailie  "  and 
Christian  Young,  and  sometimes  called  the  "  Young  Bailie," 
was  born  in  1710.  He  married  first  Elizabeth  Gordon  of 
Barnes,  and  secondly  Mary,  daughter  of  Dr.  Balfour.  He 
died  7th  April,  1783,  having  by  his  first  wife  had  issue — 

I.  Thomas,  of  Innervidie  and  Nether  Kinmundy,  born 

in   1739,   was   a   merchant   in   Peterhead   and  in 

partnership    with    his    cousin,    James    Arbuthnot 

of    Dens,    (p.    283).     He    married    Jane   Buchan 

of  Auchmacoy  and  died  in  1829,  leaving  issue — • 

(i)  James,   of  Nether   Kinmundy,   baptized   at 

Peterhead     28th     December,     1790,    was 

unsound  in   mind,  and  his  next  brother 

consequently  obtained  the  lands. 

(2)  Thomas,  of    Meethill  and  of   Nether  Kin- 

mundy, baptized  at  Peterhead  2nd  July, 
1792.  He  was  Provost  of  Peterhead  and 
purchased  part  of  Invernettie,  as  well  as 
Meethill,  and  died  unmarried. 

(3)  John. 

(4)  Alexander. 

(i)  Nicola,  married  her  cousin,  Robert  Arbuthnot 
of  Mountpleasant  (p.  283),  and  died  28th 
November,  i860. 

(2)  Elizabeth,    married    Dr.   Macduff    Cordiner 
of  Madras,  by  whom  she  had  a  daughter, 
Jean,  married    to    James,   eldest   son    of 
WiUiam  Arbuthnot  of  Dens  (p.  286). 
18 


27t  MEIMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

(3)  Mary. 

(4)  Jean,  died  unmarried. 

II.  James,  died  in  infancy. 

III.  Cliarles  James,  baptized  at  Peterhead  i6th  October, 
1745.     (Witnesses,  Thomas  Arbuthnot,  Bailie,  and 
Robert  Arbuthnot.)     He  died  young. 
I.  Margaret,  baptized  at  Peterhead,  22nd  November, 
1740.     She  married  (at  Peterhead,  I3tli  November, 
1760)    WilUam    Forbes,    and    died    7th    January, 
1785,  leaving  issue. 
II.  Christian,  baptized  at  Peterhead  3rd  May,  1744. 
III.  EUzabeth,  baptized  at  Peterhead  22nd  May,  1747.' 

By  his  second  wife,  Mary  Balfour,  James  Arbuthnot  had 
issue — 

IV.  James,  baptized  at  Peterhead  5th  December,  1759. 
(Witnesses,  Thomas  Arbuthnot  and  Wilham  Scott.) 
V.  John,    of   the   Company   of   Scott   and   Arbuthnot, 
thread  manufacturers  of  Peterhead.     He  died  13th 
April,  1786,  aged  26.= 
IV.  Anne,  died  unmarried,  November,  1790.5 
V.  Mary,  married  William  Scott,  merchant  in  Peterhead, 
and  died  before  nth  May,  1791. 

Robert  Arbuthnot  of  New  Seat,  St.  Fergus,  and  of  Torhen- 
drie  (p.  247),  third  son  of  Alexander  Arbuthnot  in  Rora  and 
Elspet  Innes,  was  baptized  at  Longside  4th  February,  1668. 
Moir  tells  us  that  he  was  "  a  man  of  similar  disposition  to  his 
brother  Nathaniel,  and  not  less  interesting  in  his  appearance 
and  manners,  although  his  mind  was  perhaps  less  highly 
cultivated."  He  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  John  Duncan 
in  Innervidie,  Longside  (a  farm  on  the  estate  of  Nether 
Kinmundy),  and  died  in  1702  (buried  at  Longside,  loth 
November  that  year,  aged  35),  leaving  issue — 

'  One  of  James  Arbuthnot's  daughters  by  Elizabeth  Gordon  married,  according 
to  John  Moir,  "  Thomas  Fraser." 

>  In  the  Aberdeen  Commisariot  is  recorded  the  will  of  "  John  Arbuthnot, 
white  thread  manufacturer  of  Peterhead,  second  son  of  James  Arbuthnot,  merchant 
there,   nth  May,   1791."     He  was  second  son  by  the  second  marriage. 

3  Her  will  is  also  recorded  in  the  Aberdeen  Commisariot,  on  the  same  date  as 
that  of  her  brother  John.  In  both  cases  the  heirs  are  William  and  James  Scott, 
their  sister  Mai-y's  children. 


THE  ARBUTHNOTS  OF  ABERDEENSHIRE  275 

I.  John,  of  New  Seat,  who  was  paying  rent  to  the  Earl 
Marischal's  estate  from  1713  to  1716." 

II.  Thomas,  baptized  at  Longside  i6th  April,  1694. 
(Witnesses,  Nathaniel  Arbuthnot  and  Thomas 
Arbuthnot,  both  in  Longside.)  This  Thomas 
became  a  doctor  in  Peterhead,  and  married  his 
cousin,  Margaret,  daughter  of  Andrew  Arbuthnot 
of  Hatton  (p.  248)  ;  according  to  Moir,  he  was 
"  unfortunate  in  business,"  and  went  to  Canada 
with  his  family.  Moir  mentions  two  daughters 
(i)  Jane,  married  to  "  Dr.  Mathison  of  America  ;  " 
and  (2)  Elspet,  married  to  Dr.  Robert  Campbell 
of  Smiddygreen. 

III.  Nathaniel,  baptized  at  Longside  iSth  March,  1697. 
(Witnesses,  Nathaniel  Arbuthnot  and  WiUiam 
Eraser.) 
I.  Margaret,  baptized  at  Longside,  12th  January,  1693, 
(Witnesses,  Nathaniel  Arbuthnot  in  Longside  and 
William  Davidson  in  Lennebo.) 
II.  Janet,  baptized  at  St.  Fergus  2nd  April,  1700. 
(W^itnesses,  Nathaniel  Arbuthnot  and  Alexander 
Dalgarno.) 

III.  Grizel,  baptized  at  St.  Fergus,  15th  May,  1701. 
(Witnesses,  Alexander  Dalgarno  and  Thomas 
Duncan.)  She  married  (at  Peterhead,  4th  Feb- 
ruary, 1725)  James  Park,  and  was  buried  in 
Peterhead  Churchyard,  2nd  April,  1790,  aged  89. 
She  had  by  James  Park  a  daughter,  Elizabeth, 
who  married  Andrew  Johnston  of  Aldie,  and  had 
a  daughter,  Grizel  Johnston,  married  to  Charles 
Arbuthnot  of  Crichie  (p.  249). 

'  Fotfeited  Estate  Papers  relating  to  the  Lands  of  the  Earl  Marischal. 


PART    V 

LINE    DESCENDING    FROM 
ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT    OF    WHITEHILL 

FOURTH    SON    OF    ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT    OF 
SCOTSMILL 


LINE    DESCENDING    FROM    ROBERT    ARBUTIINOT 
OF   WHITEHILL 

WE  must  now  take  up  the  line  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of 
Whitehill,  fourth  son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Scots- 
mill  and  Beatrix  Gordon,  from  whom  descended  the 
Arbuthnots  of  Arbuthnot  House,  Peterhead  (of  whom,  at 
the  time  of  writing,  the  Rev.  William  Arbuthnot  of  Stech- 
ford,  Birmingham,  is  the  only  surviving  male  representative), 
and  the  line  of  Baronets  (now  represented  by  Brigadier-General 
Sir  Dalrymple  Arbuthnot,  fifth  Baronet),  with  their  collaterals. 
The  descendants  of  the  first  Baronet's  younger  brother,  George 
Arbuthnot  of  Eldershe,  will  be  treated  separately  in  Part  VI. 
Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Whitehill,  a  farm  on  the  Invernettie 
estate,  near  Peterhead,  living  1670  and  1679,  is  said  to  have 
married  Mary,  daughter  of  John  Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall/ 
and  to  have  had  the  following  issue : 

'  Some  MS.  accounts  state  that  Robert,  fourth  son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot 
of  Scotsmill,  married  as  above,  but  no  corroboration  of  this  fact  has  been  found, 
nor  is  there  a  baptismal  entry  of  any  such  daughter  in  the  Longside  registers. 
For  various  reasons  I  am  inchned  to  doubt  this  marriage  altogether.  It  must 
be  said  that  the  arrangement  of  the  pedigree  here  (which  has  in  general  the  approval 
of  the  Rev.  William  Arbuthnot,  the  greatest  living  authority  on  the  Aberdeenshire 
Arbutlinots)  differs  from  John  Moir's  account  in  important  particulars.  Moir 
states,  and  Mr.  /Mtken  and  other  writers  have  accepted  his  arrangement, 
that  the  fourth  son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Scotsmill  and  Beatrix  Gordon  was 
"  of  New  Seat,  St.  Fergus."  This  is  not  borne  out  by  the  parish  registers  of  Long- 
side,  where  it  appears  that  Robert  Arbuthnot  in  New  Seat  was  buried  loth  November, 
1702,  "  aged  35."  This  at  once  establishes  that  he  cannot  have  been  the  son  of 
a  woman  born  in  1606,  as  Beatrix  Gordon  was,  and  other  entries  have  all  tended 
to  show  that  the  fourth  son  of  Robert  .\rbutlmot  of  Scotsmill  occupied  Whitehill, 
a  farm  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Scotsmill.  It  seems  far  more  reasonable  to  regard 
Robert  Arbuthnot  of  New  Seat  (see  p.  274)  as  the  son  of  Alexander  Arbuthnot  in 
Rora,  and  a  glance  at  the  names  of  the  witnesses  to  his  children's  baptisms  will 
show  that  they  are  almost  all  persons  related  on  that  side  of  the  family.  No 
absolute  proof  of  this  can  be  advanced,  though  every  effort  has  been  made  to 
arrive  at  certainty.  A  bo.x  of  family  papers  once  in  the  possession  of  Sir  William 
Wedderbum  .Arbuthnot  might  perhaps  have  thrown  some  light  on  this  and  other 
matters,  but  unfortunately,  as  has  been  mentioned,  it  seems  to  have  disappeared. 


280  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

I.  John  of    Whitehill  and  Toddlehills,  of    whom  pre- 
sently. 
II.  Robert,    baptized    at    Peterhead    26th     December, 
1677.     (Witnesses,  Robert  and  John  Arbuthnot.) 
Ill,  Alexander,  baptized  at  Peterhead  30th  November, 
1679.     (Witnesses,   Robert    Martine  and  William 
Arbuthnot.) 
I.  Janet,  baptized  at  Peterhead,  25th  January,  1670. 
(Witnesses,  Robert  Arbuthnot  "  at  Scotsmylne  " 
and  William  Arbuthnot  in  Invernettie.) 
II.  Mary,  baptized  at  Peterhead,  25th  February,  1672. 
(Witnesses,  William  Robertson  in  Downhills  and 
William  Robertson,  "  chamberlain  to  old  Robert 
Arbuthnot.") 
III.  Janet,  second  of    the  name,  baptized  at  Peterhead 
6th    November,    1674.     (Witnesses,    Paul    Keyth 
and  Gilbert  B.  .  .  .) 

John  Arbuthnot  of  Whitehill  and  of  Toddlehills,  whom 
we  have  placed  as  eldest  son  of  his  father,  but  of  whom  no 
record  of  baptism  has  been  found,  was  almost  certainly  the 
John  Arbuthnot  who  married  at  Peterhead,  26th  October, 
1693,  Barbara  Macranald,  and  secondly  (according  to  John 
Moir)  Miss  J.  Dunbar,  probably  belonging  to  the  Dunbars  of 
Grange,  near  Peterhead.     By  his  first  wife  he  had  issue — 

I.  Robert,  first  of  Haddo-Rattray,  baptized  at  Peter- 
head 9th   October,   1694,  of  whom  presently. 

By  his  second  wife,  Miss  Dunbar,  John  Arbuthnot  had 
issue — 

II.  John,  baptized  at  Peterhead  i8th  March,  1701. 
(Witnesses,  John  Gordon,  tutor  of  Glenbucket 
and   Alexander   Cruikshank,    bailie.) 

and  no  one  now  living  is  able  to  give  any  information  as  to  its  fate.  The  pedigree, 
then,  in  this  portion,  must  be  regarded  as  to  some  extent  theoretical,  but  there 
is  strong  reason  to  believe  it  cannot  be  very  far  wrong.  It  has  been  compiled 
largely  from  information  kindly  and  generously  given  by  the  Rev.  William  Arbuthnot, 
who  has  in  the  past  had  access  to  the  valuable  family  papers  at  Arbuthnot  House, 
Peterhead,  which,  at  the  time  of  writing,  are  not  available  for  reference.  This 
has  been  supplemented  by  a  close  study  of  the  parish  registers  of  Peterhead,  Long- 
side  and  St.  Fergus,  with  wills  and  other  records. 


ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT    OF    WHITEHILL       281 

III.  Alexander,    baptized   at    Peterhead    i6th    October, 

1702.  (Witnesses,  Alexander  Tulloch  in  Clerkhill 
and  John  Arbuthnot  in  Rora.) 

IV.  Andrew,  (baptism  not  found  in  the  parish  registers), 

shipmaster  in  Peterhead,  born  in  1703,  married 
(20th  January,  1737)  at  Peterhead,  Anne,  daughter 
of  the  Rev.  Alexander  Hepburn,  episcopal  clergy- 
man of  St.  Fergus.  This  lady,  who  died  19th  May, 
1795.  was  very  accompHshed  and  was  a  friend 
and  correspondent  of  Mrs.  Montague,  foundress  of 
the  "  Blue-Stocking  Club."  Some  particulars 
relating  to  Anne  Hepburn  and  Mrs.  Montague's 
kindness  to  her  when  in  very  reduced  circumstances, 
will  be  found  in  Sir  William  Forbes'  Life  and 
Writings  of  James  Beattie,  pp.  325-7.  Andrew 
Arbuthnot  died  of  fever  at  Charlestown  in  1740, 
leaving  issue  by  Anne  Hepburn  a  son,  Alexander, 
born  31st  October,  1739  (baptized  at  Peterhead, 
1st  November,  that  year),  who  was  an  officer  under 
General  Wolfe,  to  whom  he  acted  as  aide-de- 
camp at  the  capture  of  Quebec.  He  died  of 
yellow  fever  in  the  West  Indies  in  1762. 

V.  Thomas    of     Keith    Inch,    Peterhead,    baptized    at 

Longside  3rd  October,  1704.  (Witnesses,  John 
Arbuthnot  in  Rora  and  John  Taylour  in  Peterhead.) 
To  him  we  shall  return.  He  was  ancestor  of  the 
Arbuthnots  of  Invernettie  and  Arbuthnot  House, 
Peterhead. 
I.  Katherine,  baptized  at  Longside  i6th  August,  1709. 
(Witnesses,  Alexander  Duncan  "  in  Enervedy " 
and  John  Hay  in  Saak.) 

Thomas  Arbuthnot  of  Keith  Inch,  Peterhead,  fourth  son 
of  John  Arbuthnot  of  Whitehill  and  Toddlehills,  born  in  1704, 
became  a  merchant  and  shipowner  in  Peterhead.  He  resided 
in  Old  Keith  Inch  Castle,  now  no  longer  in  existence,  which 
he  had  acquired  from  the  Keith  family.  John  Moir,  the 
true  Boswell  of  the  Arbuthnot  family,  states  that  he  "  possessed 
a  fine  countenance  and  a  graceful  person — and  a  most  re- 
spectable  character    and   agreeable   manners ; — qualities   for 


282  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTIINOTS 

which  his  son'  is  not  less  remarkable — and  it  gives  us  pleasure 
to  add,  his  more  remote  and  youthful  descendants  bid  fair 
to  equal  the  fame  of  their  ancestor." 

Thomas  Arbuthnot  married  (at  Peterhead,  28th  October, 
1731)  Jean,  daughter  of  Thomas  Arbuthnot,  the  "  Old  Bailie  " 
of  Peterhead  (p.  272),  and  died  at  Peterhead  5th  February, 
1790,  leaving  issue — 

I.  Thomas,  baptized  at  Peterhead  30th  September, 
1732.  (Witnesses,  James  Arbuthnot  and  Robert 
Arbuthnot.) 
II.  John,  baptized  at  Peterhead  21st  August,  1735. 
(Witnesses,  John  Arbuthnot  and  Thomas  Arbuth- 
not.) 
III.  James  of  Dens,  baptized  at  Peterhead  13th  August, 
1741.  (Witnesses,  Thomas  Arbuthnot,  Bailie,  and 
James  Arbuthnot.)     Of  him  presently. 

I.  Christian,  baptized  at  Peterhead  19th  September, 
1733-  (Witnesses,  Thomas  Arbuthnot,  Bailie,  and 
Robert  Arbuthnot.) 
II.  Mary,  baptized  at  Peterhead  13th  December,  1739. 
(Witnesses,  Robert  Arbuthnot  and  Alexander 
Forbes.)  She  married  (at  Peterhead,  29th  April, 
1760)  Alexander  Leslie  of  Berrydon,  merchant 
in  Aberdeen,  and  died  before  1770. 

III.  Ehzabeth,    baptized    at    Peterhead    23rd     October, 

1744.  (Witnesses,  Thomas  Forbes  and  James 
Arbuthnot.)  She  married  (June,  1771)  James 
Mackie    of    Findhorn. 

IV.  Charlotte,    baptized    at    Peterhead,    28th    October, 

1746.     (Witnesses,  Baihe  Thomas  Arbuthnot  and 
James  Arbuthnot.) 
V.  Jean,  baptized  at  Peterhead  5th  July,  1749.     (Wit- 
nesses,   Bailie    Thomas    Arbuthnot    and    James 
Arbuthnot.) ' 

«  Moir  only  mentions  one  son,  James  Arbuthnot  of  Dens.  He  was  the  only 
surviving  son  in  1770,  when  his  father's  will  was  drawn  up. 

J  It  is  believed  that  the  above  account  of  Thomas  Arbuthnot 's  family  is  correct, 
judging  by  the  Peterhead  parish  registers.  Moir  mentions  only  one  son,  James, 
and  speaks  of  two  daughters  living  in  1815,  viz.  :  "  Mrs.  Leshe,  widow  of  Mr. 
Leslie  of  Berridon,  near  Aberdeen,  and  Mrs.  Mackay  of  Peterhead,  both  of  whom 
have  families." 


ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ^^^^ITEHILL       283 

James  Arbuthnot  of  Dens  and  Arbuthnot  House,  Peter- 
head, only  surviving  son  of  Thomas  and  Jean  Arbuthnot, 
born  1741/  was  a  prosperous  merchant  in  Peterhead.  In 
1768  he  bought  some  land  in  Peterhead,  including  the  present 
Arbuthnot  House  property,  from  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Haddo- 
Rattray,  and  in  1786  he  bought  the  Haddo-Rattray  estate  from 
Alexander  Farquharson,  accountant  in  Edinburgh  (who  had 
bought  it  in  1772  from  Robert  Arbuthnot  junior),  selling  it  the 
following  year  to  Alexander  Annand,  merchant  in  Aberdeen. 

James  Arbuthnot  died  19th  March,  1823,  aged  82.=  He 
married  {21st  February,  1775)  Catherine,  daughter  of  George 
Cumine  of  Pitully  Castle  (now  a  ruin),  near  Fraserburgh, 
and  by  her  (who  died  6th  November,  1787)  had  issue — 

I.  Thomas,  baptized  at  Peterhead  3rd  December,  1775. 
(Witnesses,  two   Thomas  Arbuthnots,  senior   and 
junior.)     Died  4th  August,   1800,  aged  24. 
n.  George  of  Invernettie,  baptized  at   Peterhead  17th 
July,  1777.     (Witnesses,  David  Wilson  and  Thomas 
Arbuthnot  junior.)     Of  him  presently. 
HI.  William  of   Dens,  baptized  at  Peterhead  21st    May, 
1779   (Witnesses,   as  before.)      Of  him  presently. 
IV.  Robert  of  Mountpleasant  and    Ugie  Bank,  baptized 
at   Peterhead  5th  November,  1783,  married  (1813) 
Nicola,  eldest  daughter  of  Thomas  Arbuthnot  of 
Innervidie    and    Kinmundy    (p.    273),   and    died 
28th  May,   1858,  having  had  issue  by  her  (who 
died  28th  November,  i860) — 

(i)  Robert  of  Culter  Mills,  born  1816,  senior 
partner  in  the  firm  of  Arbuthnot  and 
McCombie,  died  27th  June,  1902,  un- 
married. 

(2)  Thomas,  born   1818,   died  at   Peterhead  in 

1830,  unmarried. 

(3)  George,    born    1824,   died    at    Calcutta    in 

1842,  unmarried. 

»  According  to  the  inscription  on  his  tombstone  at  Peterhead  he  was  born 
23rd  August,  1741  (Henderson's  Aberdeenshire  Epitaphs,  p.  367),  but  the  Peter- 
head parish  registers  show  him  to  have  been  baptized  on  the  13th  of  August,  that 
year,  viz.  :  "  1741  August,  13th.  Thomas  Arbuthnot,  merchant  in  Peterhead, 
had  a  son  baptized  named  James,"  etc. 

'  Henderson's  Aberdeenshire  Epitaphs,  p.  367. 


284  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

(4)  Thomas  (second  of  the  name),  born  1832, 
died  28th  July,   1868. 

(i)  Jane,  born  18 13,  married  as  his  second  wife 
WilHam  AUerdyce  of  Aberdeen,  and  died 
28th  April,  1887,  leaving  issue. 

(2)  Catherine,  born  1815,  married  Thomas 
McCombie  of  Richmond  Hill  (he  died  8th 
November,  1840,  aged  26).  She  died 
20th  June,  1887,  and  was  buried  in  the 
churchyard  of  St.  Nicholas,  Aberdeen. 

George  Arbuthnot  of  Invernettie  and  Arbuthnot  House, 
Peterhead,  second  son  of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Dens  and  Cathe- 
rine Cumine,  was  born  in  1777.  He  was  a  cotton  manufacturer 
in  Glasgow  and  merchant  and  first  Provost  of  Peterhead, 
after  the  passing  of  the  Reform  Bill.  He  bought  the  Invernettie 
estate,  and  married  Mary,  daughter  of  John  Hutchison  of 
Cairngall.     He  died  4th  June,  1847,  having  had  issue — 

I.  James  of    Invernettie  and  Arbuthnot  House,  born 

iqth  May,  1821,  of  whom  presently. 
II.  John  George,  born  19th  May,  1827,  died  1855, 
unmarried. 
III.  William  Robert,  born  25th  June,  1834,  settled  in 
London  and  married  first  (at  St.  Thomas's,  Stam- 
ford Hill,  2nd  June,  i860)  Caroline  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  William  Marshall,  and  by  her  (who  died 
1st  January,  1863,  and  was  buried  at  Highgate 
Cemeter}')  had  issue  one  daughter,  Caroline  Rose, 
born  5th  July,  1861,  now  a  Sister  of  Mercy  ;  he 
married  secondly  (at  Enfield,  i6th  August,  1866) 
Helena,  daughter  of  John  Skilbeck,  by  whom  he 
had  issue  :  Mary  Helena,  born  12th  May,  1867, 
married  (14th  May,  1891)  Ernest  Popplewell  PuUan, 
third  son  of  Charles  PuUan  of  Blackheath,  Kent 
and  Littlehampton,  Sussex,  and  has  issue  ;  and 
Sibella  Margaret,  born  4th  February,  1870.  Mr. 
W.  R.  Arbuthnot  died  13th  April,  1918,  and  was 
buried  at  Brockley  Cemetery,  Lewisham. 

I.  Ehzabeth,  born  1817,  married  George  Gilbert  Ander- 
son, solicitor,  Peterhead,  and  died  in  1845. 


ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT    OF    WHITEHILL       285 

II.  Catharine,   born   1819,   died  in   1837,   unmarried. 

III.  Sibella,  born  1825,  died  23rd  November,  1854. 

The  eldest  son,  James  Arbuthnot  of  Invernettie  and  Arbuth- 
not  House,  Peterhead,  born  19th  May,  1S21,  married  (26th 
April,  1848)  Eleanor  Jane,  daughter  and  heiress  of  Ogilvy 
Wills,  banker  (by  his  wife,  Margaret  Gordon  of  Auchleuchries, 
whose  mother  was  Christian  Arbuthnot,  daughter  of  Captain 
Thomas  Arbuthnot,  second  son  of  the  "  Old  Bailie  "),  and 
died  31st  August,  1873,  having  by  her  had  issue — 

I.  Norman   George,    born   27th   February,    1849,    died 

in  Natal  25th  November,  1883. 
II.  Edward  Ogilvy  of  Invernettie  and  Arbuthnot  House, 
Peterhead,  born  2nd  August,  1850,  married  (1893) 
Mai  Violet  von  Cassia,  daughter  of  Count  von 
Cassia,  and  died  27th  May,  1912,  leaving  issue 
an  only  daughter  and  heiress,  Leta  Mai,  born 
December,  1893,  now  owner  of  the  Peterhead 
property. 
III.  James  Ernest,  born  nth  December,  1851,  died  15th 
December,  1S63. 

IV.  Charles   Gordon,   born   19th   April,    1853,   died   8th 

October,  1870. 
V.  Adam,    born   26th   June,    1854,   died   21st   August, 

1913- 
VI.  William  (Rev.),  born  14th  October,  1858,  of  whom 

below. 
I.  Sibella,  born  7th  February,  1856,  died  in  February, 

1857- 
The  sixth  son  of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Invernettie  and 
Eleanor  Ogilvy-Wills,  the  Rev.  William  Arbuthnot,  born 
14th  October,  1858,  was  ordained  at  St.  Andrew's  in  1886;  was 
curate  of  St.  Ninian's  Cathedral,  Perth,  1886-8  ;  curate  of 
Christ  Church,  Linton,  parish  of  Church  Gresley,  Derbyshire, 
1888-9  ;  Chaplain  to  the  Marquis  of  Breadalbane  and  incum- 
bent of  St.  James's,  Taymouth,  St.  Andrews,  1889-1901 ;  curate 
of  St.  Stephen's,  Birmingham,  1903-8  ;  Vicar  of  Lea  Marston, 
Birmingham,  1908-16  ;  curate-in-charge  of  All  Saints',  Stech- 
ford,  Birmingham,  from  1916  ;  Rector  of  Icomb,  Gloucester- 
shire, from  1919.     He  married  (12th  April,  1888)  Julia  Helen 


286  MEIMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTIINOTS 

Maria  Ogilvy,  only  child  of  Captain  Kenneth  Bruce  Stuart 
of  Glenhead,  of  the  68th  Foot,  and  has  had  issue — 

I.  Gavin  Campbell,  born  7th  February,  1893,  Lieut. 
North  Staffordshire  Regiment ;  served  in  the 
European  War,  and  was  reported  wounded  and 
missing  from  Gallipoli,  August,  1915,  and  not 
since  heard  of. 

I.  Dorothea  May  Ogilvy,  born  4th  May,  1889. 
II.  Clementina  Julia  Alma  Ogilvy,  born  7th  July,  1890  ; 
married  (1912)  the  Rev.  Harold  Stephen  Sharpe, 
and   has   issue. 

William  Arbuthnot  of  Dens  and  Downiehills,  third  son  of 
James  Arbuthnot  of  Dens  and  Catherine  Gumming,  born  1779, 
inherited  Dens  from  his  father  and  purchased  Downiehills, 
near  Peterhead.  He  married  (1811)  Susan  Marshall,  sister 
of  Dr.  Marshall  of  Peterhead  (she  died  12th  July,  1859,  aged 
68)  and  died  4th  January,  1867,  aged  88,  leaving  issue — 

I.  James  of  Natal,  South  Africa,  born  1816,  of   whom 

presently. 
II.  John,  born  1818,  died    in  Ceylon  1849,  unmarried. 

III.  WiUiam,    born    1827,    died    27th    December,    1837, 

aged   9   years. 

IV.  George,  born  1831,  died  in  Natal,  30th  July,  1856, 

unmarried. 
I.  Catherine,  born  25th  December,  1812,  married  John 
Hutchison  of  Monyruy,  Longside,  and  died 
25th  January,  1856. 
II.  Margaret,  born  1814,  married  William  Alexander 
of  Spring  Hill,  and  Whitehill,  near  Peterhead, 
and  died  in  1907. 

III.  Mary,   born   1819,   married  Alexander  NicoU,  ship- 

owner in  Peterhead,  and  died  13th  May,  1846. 

IV.  Susan,  born  1821,  died  unmarried. 

V.  Nicola,  born  1823,  married  (1844)  John  Ross  of  Arnage. 

James  Arbuthnot,  eldest  son  of  William  Arbuthnot  of  Dens 
and  Susan  Marshall,  went  to  Natal  and  settled  there.  He 
married  Jean,  only  child  of  Dr.  Macduff  Cordiner,  E.I.C.S.,  by 
his  wife,  Elizabeth  Arbuthnot,  daughter  of  Thomas  Arbuthnot, 


ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT    OF    WHITEHILL       287 

of    Kinmundy    (p.    273),    and    by    her,    who    died   in   1907, 
had   issue — 

I.  William    Thomas,    who    married    Constance    Leigh, 
and  had  issue — 

(1)  Leigh. 

(2)  Edgar,  married  Georgie    Hepom    and    has 

issue  :  (i)  Maynard  ;  (2)  Wilham  Grahame, 
and  ;  (3)  Daphne  Rubina. 

(3)  Oliver  Cromwell. 

(4)  William. 

(5)  Fitzwilliam,  married  Edith  Davey,  and  has 

issue  :    (i)  William  Osborne ;   (i)  Frances 
Edith ;   (2)   Olivia  ;  and  (3)   Geraldine. 

(i)  Carina,  married  Douglas  Giles. 

(2)  Ethel,   married   her  cousin.  Major  William 
Alexander  of  Spring  Hill  and  Whitehill. 
II.  Macduff,  who  married  Jane  Bruce,  and  has  issue — 

(i)  Bruce  ; 

(2)  Nigel ; 

(i)  Christina,  married  George  Blake  ;  and 

(2)  Phyllis. 

III.  Hubert,  married  Evangeline,  daughter  of  Archdeacon 

Barker,  and  has  issue — 
(i)  Guy; 

(2)  Trent,  married  Theodora  Kenmure  ; 

(3)  Eric  ;   and 

(i)  Constance,  married  Willoughby  Mogride. 

IV.  Fitzjames,  married  Elizabeth  Crocker,  and  has  issue — 

(i)  St.  George  Ray,  married  Mary  Hugo,  and 
has  issue  :  (i)  Maurice  Grahame  ;  (i)  Eileen 
Mabel ;  and  (2)  Mildred  Cecile. 

(2)  Hugo. 

(3)  Guy  Lestrange. 
(i)  Mabel. 

(2)  Aline  Grace. 
V.  St.  George,  married  Blanche  Barker,  and  has  issue — 
(i)  Nicola  Buchan,  married  Tyrone  Tatham. 

(2)  Dulcie. 

(3)  Josephine. 


288  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

VI.  Crofton,  married  Mary  Maby,  and  has  issue — 
(i)  Eugene,  born  1899. 

(2)  Crofton  Keith,  born  1902. 

(3)  Donald  Cordiner,  born  1903. 

(4)  John,  born  1910. 
(i)  Doreen,  born  1898. 
(2)  Joan,  born  1903. 

I.  Eva,  married  Edward  Hawksworth. 
II.  Susan,  married  Captain  Davey. 

Robert  Arbuthnot,  first  of  Haddo-Rattray,  eldest  son  of 
John  Arbuthnot  of  Whitehill,  was  born,  according  to  the 
inscription  on  his  tombstone  in  old  Peterhead  Churchyard, 
on  the  29th  September,  1695.' 

On  loth  July,  1740,  Robert  Arbuthnot,  "  merchant  in 
Peterhead,"  bought  from  "  Harie  Elphinstone "  some  land 
in  Peterhead,  comprising  the  property  in  Broad  Street  on  which 
Arbuthnot  House  now  stands.  His  son  received  a  charter 
of  confirmation  from  the  Merchant  Maiden  Hospital  of  Edin- 
burgh on  the  30th  August,  1768,  but  sold  it  the  following 
month  to  James  Arbuthnot  of  Dens,  as  we  have  mentioned. 
In  1747  Robert  Arbuthnot  senior  purchased  the  house  and 
lands  of  Haddo-Rattray  in  the  parish  of  St.  Fergus  from  Eliza- 
beth Black,  widow  of  Patrick  Farquharson  of  Invery,  this 
estate  having  been  for  some  generations  in  possession  of  the 
Blacks  of  Haddo,  who  had  acquired  it  from  the  Watsons. • 
Robert  Arbuthnot  died  at  Peterhead,  I5tli  September,  1756. 
He  is  referred  to  as  follows  in  the  Aberdeen  Journal  of  the  28th 
of  that  month  :  "  On  Tuesday  last,  died  at  Peterhead,  Robert 
Arbuthnot  of  Haddo,  Esquire,  merchant  in  that  place.  A 
gentleman  whose  many  valuable  qualifications  rendered  him 
an  honour  to  his  country,  an  ornament  to  society,  and  a 
pubhc  blessing  ;  so  that  his  death  is  unfeignedly  regretted 
by  all  ranks." 

I  It  is  suggested  that  the  inscription,  composed  over  sixty  years  later  by  his 
widow  and  son,  may  perhaps  err  as  to  the  year,  though  the  day  of  the  month  is 
doubtless  correct,  as  the  following  entry  in  the  Peterhead  parish  registers  most 
probably  refers  to  him  :  "  1694,  October  9,  John  Arbuthnot  in  Peterhead  had  a 
son  baptized  Robert :  witnesses,  Robert  Arbuthnot  and  John  Young." 

=  For  some  details  regarding  the  proprietors  of  Haddo-Rattray,  see  Hender- 
son's Aberdeenshire  Epitaphs,  pp.  73-4. 


ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT    OF    WHITEHILL       289 

He  had  married  at  Peterhead,  17th  February,  1719,  Mary 
Petrie,  of  whom  nothing  is  known,  and  had  issue — 

I.  George,    baptized   at    Peterhead   20th     June,    1721. 
(Witnesses,  Thomas  Arbuthnot  and  Mr.   William 
Dunbar.)     Died   young. 
II.  John,  died  young. 

III.  Robert,  second  of  Haddo-Rattray,  baptized  at  Peter- 
head 24th  October,  1728.  (Witnesses,  Thomas 
Arbuthnot  and  Richard  Gormond.)  Of  him 
presently. 
I.  Barbara,  baptized  at  Peterhead  20th  March,  1736. 
(Witnesses,  Thomas  and  Alexander  Arbuthnot.) 
She  married  Dr.  David  Wilson  of  Peterhead,  and 
died  s.p. 
II.  Mary,    married     at    Peterhead    loth     June,    1753, 

William  Fraser  of  Mains  of  Inverugie. 
III.  Jane,  died  unmarried. 

Robert  Arbuthnot,  second  of  Haddo-Rattray,  third  and 
only  surviving  son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  and  Mary  Petrie, 
born  1728,  was  for  some  time  a  merchant  in  Peterhead,  but 
afterwards  removed  to  Edinburgh.  He  succeeded  his  father 
in  the  estate  of  Haddo-Rattray  and  the  Peterhead  property 
in  1756,  receiving  a  charter  of  confirmation  of  the  former  from 
the  Earl  of  Erroll  in  his  favour,  dated  2nd  March,  1767.  As 
has  been  mentioned,  he  sold  the  Peterhead  property  to  his 
cousin,  James  Arbuthnot  of  Dens  in  1768.  In  September, 
1772,  he  sold  Haddo  to  Alexander  Farquharson,  accountant 
in  Edinburgh.  From  him  it  was  purchased  in  1786  by  James 
Arbuthnot  of  Dens,  who  sold  it  the  following  year  to  Alexander 
Annand.  Still  later,  it  came  into  the  possession  of  the  Bremners, 
and  its  present  owner.  Miss  Bremner,  kindly  afforded  the  writer 
every  faciUty  for  seeing  Haddo-Rattray  House,  when,  in  the 
summer  of  1917,  she  made  a  pilgrimage  into  Buchan  for  the 
purpose  of  visiting  various  spots  associated  with  the  Arbuth- 
nots.  The  house,  built  in  the  Queen  Anne  style,  has  a  cheerful 
and  homely  appearance,  contrasting  strangely  with  the  desolate 
country  all  around  it.  It  stands  near  the  sea,  in  the  parish 
of  Crimond,  not  far  from  the  Loch  of  Strathbeg,  an  arm  of 
the  sea  that  runs  inland  near  Rattray  Head.  In  one  of  the 
19 


290  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

pannelled  upper  rooms  the  writer  was  shown  a  press  that 
held  a  secret.  Its  bottom  could  be  lifted  out,  disclosing  a 
deep  compartment  reaching  to  the  level  of  the  ground  floor. 
Peering  downwards,  it  was  possible  to  see,  quite  distinctly, 
at  the  base  of  this,  the  arched  entrance  to  a  secret  passage. 
We  were  told  that  this  passage  was  believed  to  lead  to  the 
Loch  of  Strathbeg,  and  to  have  been  formerly  used  by  smugglers. 

It  is  not  known  at  what  date  Robert  Arbuthnot  settled 
in  Edinburgh  as  a  banker,  but  it  was  previous  to  1772,  in  which 
year  he  suffered  heavy  pecuniary  losses,  through  the  failure 
of  his  firm,  Arbuthnot-Guthrie."  He  was  living  in  Edinburgh 
in  the  year  1773,  and  a  natural  love  of  learning  drew  him  into 
the  best  literary  circles  of  that  city.  In  that  year  he  made 
the  acquaintance  of  Dr.  Johnson,  then  in  Edinburgh,  being 
introduced  to  him  by  Boswell,  who  writes  as  follows  :  "I 
presented  to  him  Mr.  Robert  Arbuthnot,  a  relation  of  the 
celebrated  Dr.  Arbuthnot,  and  a  man  of  literature  and 
taste,"  etc.^ 

Robert  Arbuthnot  was  for  many  years  Secretary  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  for  the  Encouragement  of  the  Manufactures 
and  Fisheries  of  Scotland,  succeeding  Mr.  Guthrie  in  that 
office.  He  retained  it  until  his  death,  and  was  succeeded  in 
it  by  his  eldest  surviving  son,  William,  afterwards  the  first 
Baronet. 

Robert  Arbuthnot  was  possessed  of  a  genial  and  attractive 
disposition,  and  his  many  friends  stood  by  him  loyally  through 
all  his  troubles  and  vicissitudes.  Conspicuous  among  them 
was  Sir  Robert  Murray  Keith,  British  Ambassador  in  Vienna. 
Many  letters  addressed  to  him  by  Robert  Arbuthnot  are  in 
the  MS.  Room  at  the  British  Museum. 

In  one,  dated  from  Edinburgh,  23rd  February,  1776, 
he  refers  to  his  son  Robert,  then  being  educated  at  Glasgow, 
as  follows  : 

"  Altho'  I  believe  a  Glasgow  education  is  not  thought 
to  be  very  favourable  to  the  graces,  yet  I  do  not  think  him 
altogether  deficient  in  them.  .  .  ."     Continuing,  he  mentions 

»  This  we  learn  from  an  allusion  in  the  diary  of  his  grandson,  George  Arbuthnot 
of  Elderslie,  written  fifty- four  years  later,  and  quoted  on  p.  331.  See  also  Memoirs 
of  a  Banking  House,  by  Sir  Wilham  Forbes. 

i  Boswell's  Life  of  Johnson,  vol.  v.  p.  29. 


-a  ^ 
X    I 


ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT    OF    WHITEHILL       291 

his  intention  to  send  his  son  to  Douai  tlie  following  April 
or  May,  and  then  perhaps  to  Oxford  or  Warrington.  He 
writes  :  "  There  is  something  showy  and  splendid  in  the  idea 
of  an  Oxford  education,  yet  there  are  some  disadvantages 
attend  it  which  alarm  me  a  good  deal,  besides  the  enormous 
expence  of  it,  even  supposing  I  succeed  in  procuring  the  Exhibi- 
tion, whereas  the  charge  of  the  education  at  Warrington  is 
very  moderate,  and  I  have  heard  an  excellent  character  of 
the  masters,"  etc. 

In  a  letter  dated  ist  August,  the  same  year,  he  writes  : 

"  Amidst  the  various  misfortunes  with  which  I  have  been 
surrounded,  I  have  had  many  comforts  ;  without  doors  I 
have  not  lost  or  offended  a  single  friend  that  I  know  of,  and 
at  home  I  have  every  satisfaction  that  belongs  to  the  idea 
of  domestic  felicity.  .  .  ."  ' 

In  1759  he  had  married  Mary,  daughter  of  John  Urquhart 
of  Craigston  and  Cromarty,  of  a  very  ancient  Scottish  family, 
allied  with  many  of  the  great  northern  houses,  and  descending 
in  the  female  line  from  Robert  Bruce. ^  The  descent  of  Mary 
Urquhart  is  an  interesting  one,  and  it  has  been  found  possible 
to  make  out  all  but  three  of  her  seize  quartiers — a  genea- 
logical puzzle  not  often  even  partially  solved  when  the  subject 
is  removed  from  us  by  several  generations.  Her  descent, 
tabled  in  this  particular  form,  will  be  found  in  the  diagram 
facing  p.  294.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  chart  breaks  down 
in  the  line  of  Eraser  of  Tyrie,  a  cadet  of  the  Erasers  of  Philorth. 
Though  no  proof  is  obtainable,  it  seems  likely  that  Margaret 
Eraser,  grandmother  of  Mary  Urquhart,  was  the  daughter  of 
James  Eraser  of  Tyrie,  who  was  living  in  1685  and  died  about 
1705.  Margaret's  grandfather  would  then  be  Alexander 
Eraser  of  Tyrie,  whose  wife  was  Christian  Abercromby.  It 
is  therefore  probable  that  the  sixth  shield  from  the  left-hand 
side  should  bear  the  arms  of  Abercromby. 

The  home  of  Mary  Urquhart's  childhood  was  Craigston 
Castle,  formerly  called  Craigsintray,  and  is  one  of  the  finest 
remaining  examples  of    the  old   feudal  castles  of  Scotland. 

I  Add.  MSS.  35,510,  ff.  61-2  and  252. 

'  See  Burke's  Royal  Families,  vol.  ii.  No.  cviii. 


292  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

Though  it  has  suffered  slightly  from  tasteless  restoration 
and  has  lost  its  corner  turrets,  of  which  only  the  sculptured 
bases  remain,  it  is  otherwise  almost  unspoilt,  and  the  fine 
arch  connecting  the  two  wings  that  flank  the  entrance,  sur- 
mounted by  a  richly  corbelled  parapet,  is  one  of  the  most 
perfect  in  Scotland.  The  castle  was  built  between  1604  and 
1607  by  John  Urquhart  "  of  Craigsintray,"  known  as  the 
Tutor  of  Cromarty,  having  had  charge  of  the  estates  of  his 
great-nephew,  Thomas  Urquhart  of  Cromarty,  during  the 
latter's  minority. 

From  the  Tutor  of  Cromarty  descended  the  line  of  Urquhart 
of  Craigston,  which  ended  (in  the  male  line)  in  the  middle  of 
the  nineteenth  century.  The  last  of  the  Urquharts — Mary 
Isabella,  heiress  of  Craigston — carried  that  estate  into  the 
family  of  Pollard  of  Castle  Pollard,  Co.  Westmeath,  Ireland, 
of  which  Captain  Michael  Pollard-Urquhart  of  Craigston  is 
now  the  head. 

One  of  the  intimate  friends  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  was 
Dr.  Beattie,  who  owed  to  his  friend's  interest  his  appointment 
to  the  chair  of  Moral  Philosophy  and  Logic  at  Marischal 
College,  Aberdeen.  On  Mr.  Arbuthnot's  proposing  the  ap- 
pointment to  Beattie,  the  latter,  as  Sir  William  Forbes  relates, 
"  heard  the  proposal  with  amazement,  conceiving  such  a  situa- 
tion to  be  an  object  altogether  beyond  his  grasp.  .  .  .  His 
friend,  however,  willing  to  try  what  could  be  done,  prevailed 
on  the  late  Earl  of  ErroU  ....  with  whom  he  lived  in  much 
intimacy,  to  apply,  by  means  of  Lord  Milton,  to  the  late 
Duke  of  Argyll,  who  at  that  time  was  supposed  to  have  the 
chief  interest  in  the  disposal  of  such  offices  as  became  vacant 
in  Scotland  ;  and,  fortunately  for  Beattie,  Lord  ErroU  received 
a  favourable  answer.  In  consequence  of  which,  on  the  8th 
October,  1760,  he  was  installed  professor  of  moral  philosophy 
and  logic  in  Marischal  College."  ' 

In  a  note  Sir  WiUiam  says  :  "  The  gentleman  to  whose 
active  zeal  and  friendly  interposition  on  this  occasion,  Beattie 
owed  so  much,  was  Robert  Arbuthnot  Esq.,  Secretary  to  the 
Board  of  Trustees  for  Fisheries  and  Manufactures  at  Edinburgh, 
but  who,  at  that  time,  resided  chiefly  and  carried  on  business 
as  a  merchant  at  Peterhead  in  Aberdeenshire.     Beattie  and 

'  Life  of  Dr.  Beattie,  by  Sir  William  Forbes,  1824,  edn.,  pp.  lo-ii. 


ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT    OF    WHITEHILL       293 

he  had  become  acquainted  on  the  removal  of  the  former  to 
Aberdeen  ;  and  a  friendship  was  soon  formed  between  them, 
which  terminated  only  with  their  hves.  Mr.  Arbuthnot,  who 
was  nearly  related  to  the  celebrated  Dr.  Arbuthnot,  the  friend 
of  Pope  and  Swift,  to  a  considerable  share  of  classical  learning 
added  an  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  best  authors  in  the 
English  language,  particularly  in  poetry  and  belles-lettres, 
of  whom  he  well  knew  how  to  appreciate  the  respective  merits, 
and  with  the  most  favourite  passages  of  whose  works  his 
memory  was  stored  beyond  that  of  almost  any  man  I  ever 
knew.  He  had  likewise  read  the  most  esteemed  writers  in 
the  French  and  ItaUan  languages.  By  these  means,  his 
conversation  was  uncommonly  entertaining  and  instructive. 
He  possessed  likewise  an  inexhaustible  flow  of  spirits,  which 
had  helped  to  support  him  through  a  variety  of  distressful 
circumstances,  to  which  it  had  been  his  lot  to  be  exposed.  And 
to  all  this  he  added  a  vein  of  delicate  and  pecuhar  humour  and 
flashes  of  merriment,  that  were  wont  to  set  the  table  in  a 
roar." 

Sir  William  Forbes,  who  published  his  life  of  Beattie  in 
1806,  regretted  that,  owing  to  Mr.  Arbuthnot's  failing  health, 
he  was  not  able  to  assist  him  in  preparing  the  work — "  a 
misfortune,"  he  says,  "  which  I  feel  as  I  proceed  almost  in 
every  page." 

Beattie  himself  bears  witness  to  the  excellent  qualities 
of  his  friend  in  a  letter  to  Mrs.  Montague,  dated  from  Aberdeen, 
i8th  December,  1773.  He  writes  :  "  It  gives  me  pleasure 
to  hear  that  your  nephew  finds  Edinburgh  so  much  to  his  mind. 
Mr.  Arbuthnot  will  do  everything  in  his  power  to  make  it 
agreeable  to  him.  To  the  soundest  principles,  and  to  the 
best  heart,  to  a  very  extensive  knowledge  both  of  men  and 
books  and  to  a  great  delicacy  and  correctness  of  taste,  Mr. 
Arbuthnot  joins  a  vein  of  pleasantry  and  good  humour  pecuhar 
to  himself,  which  renders  his  conversation  equally  agreeable 
and  instructive.  His  character,  in  many  particulars,  resembles 
that  of  his  namesake  and  near  relation,  the  famous  Dr.  John 
Arbuthnot  ;  but  my  friend  has  none  of  those  singularities 
of  manner,  which  sometimes  rendered  his  great  kinsman 
somewhat  ridiculous.  I  am  convinced  that  your  nephew  and 
he  will  be  mutually  agreeable  to  each  other  ;    and  as  Mr, 


294  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

Arbuthnot  is  well  acquainted  with  everybody  in  Edinburgh, 
he  is  one  of  the  properest  persons  there  to  give  advice  to  the 
other,  in  regard  to  his  company,"  etc 

Among  the  papers  at  Warthill  the  following  has  been 
found,  endorsed :  Extract  from  the  Commonplace  Book  of 
the  late  A.  J.  Tytler,  Lord  Woodhouselee,  sent  by  his  son  to  Sir 
William  Arbuthnot.     It  runs  : 

"  5th  November,  1803.  This  morning  died  Robert  Arbuth- 
not, Secretary  to  the  Board  of  Trustees  in  Scotland, — my 
worthy,  beloved  and  much  respected  friend.  He  had  a  few 
days  before  completed  his  75th  year.  Notwithstanding 
a  difference  of  age  (  near  20  years)  between  him  and  myself, 
we  felt  for  each  other  the  most  perfect  affection  and  the  most 
unbounded  and  intimate  confidence  and  communication 
(community  ?  )  of  sentiment.  He  was  my  father's  intimate 
friend,  and  he  took  me  up  as  it  were  by  inheritance.  I  never 
knew  a  man  who  possessed  more  of  the  kindly  affections, 
with  a  more  perfect  probity  and  rectitude  of  thinking  than  he 
did.  Without  pretensions  to  learning,  he  had  as  much  as 
falls  to  the  share  of  most  men  who  are  not  professed 
scholars ;  and  in  English  literature  and  belles-lettres,  he 
had  few  who  were  equally  conversant,  and  who  could  form 
sounder  judgments. 

"  He  had  uncommon  wit,  which  flowed  from  him  so 
easily,  that  he  appeared  to  be  unconscious  of  possessing 
it.  How  many  dehghtful  hours  have  I  spent  in  his 
company !  and  ever  with  equal  improvement  and  delight. 
His  principles  were  most  congenial  to  my  own,  and  our 
opinions  in  all  matters  of  serious  concern,  perfectly  in  unison. 
It  is  a  loss  to  me  that  can  never  be  repaired.  I  loved  him 
as  a  brother.  The  benignant  expression  of  his  countenance, 
which  hghted  up  with  a  smile  of  affection  whenever  we 
met,    I    can    never  lose    its   remembrance.  .  .  ." 

"  I  have  now  got  a  portrait  of  him,  copied  from  the  picture 
belonging  to  his  widow,  painted  by  Cotes,  on  which  I  set 
much  value." 

As   has   been   said,    Robert   Arbuthnot   married    in   1759 

>  Forbes'  Life  of  Bealtie,  p,  i86. 


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ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT    OF    WHITEHILL       295 

Mary,  daughter  of  Captain  John  Urquhart  of  Craigston  and 
Cromarty  ;    by  her  he  had  the  following  issue  : 

I.  Robert,  born  about  1760  or  1761,  was  for  a  short 
time  in  the  Army,  and  was  present  with  his  brother 
John  at  the  Siege  of  Gibraltar,  1779-1783.  He 
was  subsequently  private  secretary  to  his  father's 
old  friend,  Sir  Robert  Murray  Keith,  British 
Ambassador  at  Vienna.  Robert  Arbuthnot  was 
chosen  to  be  the  companion  of  Prince  Augustus, 
Duke  of  Sussex,'  in  some  of  his  European  travels, 
and  it  would  seem  that  this  post  was  not  without 
its  anxieties,  as  appears  by  a  letter  to  Robert 
Arbuthnot  from  his  brother  George,  written  some 
years  later,  in  which,  after  referring  to  the  troubles 
in  Ceylon  in  1803,  the  latter  remarks  :  "  I  have 
often  admired  you  for  your  firmness  and  composure 
at  the  time  when  Prince  Augustus  ran  away  from 
you,  but  that  was  a  mere  joke  to  this  dismal 
catastrophe,"  etc.  Many  letters  addressed  by 
Robert  Arbuthnot  to  Sir  Robert  Murray  Keith 
are  to  be  found  among  the  latter's  correspondence 
in  the  MS.  Room  at  the  British  Museum.  From 
the  circumstance  that  he  constantly  refers,  in 
these  letters,  to  various  persons  under  the  figures 
of  "  300,"  "  164,"  etc.,  it  is  possible  that  he  was 
writing  thus  cautiously  of  members  of  the  Royal 
Family,   or  other  personages  it  was  inexpedient 

«  Prince  Augustus,  like  several  of  the  other  sons  of  George  III,  gave  his  family 
a  good  deal  of  anxiety.  In  1793  he  married  secretly,  in  Rome,  Lady  Augusta 
Murray,  much  to  the  King's  annoyance.  In  other  and  more  unexpected  ways 
he  seems  to  have  been  the  enfant  terrible  of  the  Royal  Family,  giving  a  conspicuous 
support  to  all  the  progressive  measures  of  the  day,  and  placing  himself  rather 
excitedly  in  the  van  of  movements  for  the  abolition  of  the  slave  trade.  Catholic 
Emancipation,  removal  of  disabilities  against  the  Jews,  abolition  of  the  corn  laws, 
and  the  Reform  Bill.  He  was  so  passionately  interested  in  the  latter  measure 
that,  on  its  becoming  law,  he  remarked  :  "  Thank  God  he  had  lived  to  see  that 
day.  Now  he  did  not  care  what  occurred  to  him."  He  abandoned  Ladj'  Augusta 
Murray  (who  was  several  years  older  than  himself)  a  few  years  after  their  marriage, 
and  in  1809  applied  for  the  custody  of  his  two  children  by  her,  having  heard  with 
great  disapproval  that  she  was  bringing  them  up  as  "  princes  and  princesses." 
He  sided  with  Princess  Charlotte  in  the  quarrels  with  her  father,  entering  the 
lists  as  her  champion,  and  asking  some  very  uncomfortable  questions  in  Parlia- 
ment regarding  the  treatment  of  his  niece  by  the  Regent.  He  brought  his  rather 
erratic  career  to  a  close  in  1843. 


296  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

to  mention  by  name.  We  have,  however,  no 
key  to  his  meaning,  and  a  diary  of  his,  formerly 
in  possession  of  Sir  WilUam  Wedderburn  Arbuth- 
not,  cannot  now  be  found,  having  vanished  with 
the  other  papers  referred  to  on  pp.  279-80,  note. 
Possibly  it  would  have  thrown  light  on  the  mys- 
terious allusions  in  the  letters.  In  1801  Robert 
Arbuthnot  went  out  to  Ceylon  with  his  brother 
George,  to  take  up  the  post  of  Chief  Secretary  in 
that  island.  The  Governor — the  Hon.  Frederick 
North,  afterwards  fifth  Earl  of  Guildford — treated 
the  two  brothers  with  the  utmost  kindness,  and 
they  took  up  their  abode  in  Government  House, 
Colombo.  George  Arbuthnot,  who  was  at  first 
appointed  by  Mr.  North  Deputj^-Secretary  to 
the  Government  of  Ceylon,  soon  gave  up  this 
post  and  removed  to  Madras,  but  Robert  remained 
in  Ceylon,  and  was  with  Mr.  North  in  1803  during 
the  most  troubled  period  of  his  administration. 
All  through  the  appalling  days  after  news  of  the 
massacre  of  British  troops  at  Kandy  reached 
Colombo,  Mr.  North,  whose  coolness  and  presence 
of  mind  seem  momentarily  to  have  deserted  him, 
is  said  to  have  found  his  chief  support  and  to  have 
placed  his  utmost  rehance  in  the  calm  judgment 
and  fearless  confidence  of  his  secretary.  "  What 
a  blessing  it  is  that  your  strong  nerves  and  cool, 
steady  head  have  not  forsaken  you  on  this  trying 
occasion  !  "  wrote  his  brother  George  from  Madras 
on  the  25th  July,  and  writing  to  his  mother  on 
6th  August,  George  referred  as  follows  to  the  situa- 
tion in  Ceylon  :  "  When  both  Mr.  North  and  Gen. 
Macdowall  have  been  overpowered  by  mental 
affliction,  my  Brother's  energy  and  activity  have 
increased  ;  — his  sound,  cool  head  and  his  strong 
nerves  have  never  for  a  moment  forsaken  him ; 
you  and  my  Father  may  be  proud  of  having  such 
a  son !  " '    Robert   Arbuthnot  retired  from    his 

'  Some  further  account  of  affairs  in  Ceylon  at  this  date  will  be  found  on 
pp.  342-6,  where  the  career  of  George  Arbuthnot,  first  of  Eldershe,  is  treated. 


ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT    OF    WHITEHILL       297 

post  in  1806,  and  returned  to  Europe.  His 
promising  career  was  cut  short  prematurely.  He 
sailed  from  Cadiz  in  i8og,  but  the  vessel  was 
never  heard  of  again,  and  was  assumed  to  have 
foundered.'  By  his  will,  which  was  proved  27th 
March,  1810,  by  his  brother  William,  he  left — 
after  various  bequests  to  near  relations — an 
intagho  ring  to  Mr.  North,  together  with  £100 
to  buy  a  piece  of  plate,  "  as  a  mark  of  my  respectful 
regard  and  attachment." 
II.  John  (Captain),  R.A.,  born  30th  April,  1762 
(baptized  at  the  old  Episocopal  chapel  in  the 
Cowgate,  Edinburgh,  2nd  May),  who  distinguished 
himself  at  the  siege  of  Gibraltar  (1779-1783), 
and  died  at  Curagoa  in  1796. 

III.  Wilham    (Sir),    first  Baronet,  born   24th  December, 

1766   (baptized    at    the  Cowgate  Chapel  28th  of 
that  month),  of  whom  presently. 

IV.  Thomas,    baptized    at     the    Cowgate    Chapel    8th 

January,  1770.' 
V.  George     of    Eldershe,    Surrey,    born   in    Edinburgh 

4th  December,  1772,  of  whom  presently. 
I.  Jane,  born  in  Edinburgh  7th  April,  1763,  died  in 
her  brother  George's  house  in  Upper  Wimpole 
Street,  London,  2nd  February,  1819,  un- 
married. She  was  buried  at  St.  John's  Chapel, 
Regent's  Park,  where  there  is  a  tablet  to  her 
memory. 

'  The  obituary  notice  in  the  Scots  Magazine  for  March,  1810,  runs  as  follows  : 
"  Feb.  1809.  Robert  Arbuthnot  Esq.,  late  Chie£  Secretary  for  the  island  of 
Ceylon  (eldest  son  of  the  late  Robert  Arbuthnot  Esq.,  merchant  in  Edinburgh), 
the  loss  of  whom  is  deeply  lamented  by  his  relations  and  friends.  He  was 
on  board  his  Majesty's  schooner  Viper,  which  sailed  from  Cadiz  for  Gibraltar 
in  February,  1809,  and  we  are  very  sorry  to  say,  has  never  since  been  heard 
of." 

2  There  is  a  reference  to  Thomas  Arbuthnot  (who  must  have  died  young) 
in  the  will  of  his  uncle,  Thomas  Arbuthnot  of  Keith  Inch,  dated  ist  March,  1770, 
as  follows  :  "  And  as  the  defunct's  deceased  brother  Robert  Arbuthnot  ordered 
his  son  to  pay  to  the  defunct's  daughter  Mary  a  legacy  of  20  guineas,  which  was 
accordingly  paid  to  her  at  her  marriage,  the  executor  (i.e.,  James  Arbuthnot  of 
Dens,  only  surviving  son  of  the  testator)  is  appointed  to  pay  to  Thomas  Arbuthnot, 
son  of  the  defunct's  nephew,  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Haddo,  merchant  in  Edinburgh, 
£2^  sterling,"  etc. 


298  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTIINOTS 

II.  Mary,  born  26th  April,  1764  (baptized  at  the  Cowgate 
Chapel    29th    of     that    month),    died    young    in 
Edinburgh,   8th    March,    1781.      Buried    in    the 
churchyard   of   Greyfriars,    Edinburgh. 
III.  EUzabeth  Barbara,  born  2nd    June,  1765  (baptized 
at  the  Cowgate  Chapel  9th  of    that  month),  of 
whom  presently. 
Robert    Arbuthnot,    second    of    Haddo-Rattray,    died    in 
Edinburgh     5th   November,    1803,    and    was    buried   in    the 
churchyard  of  Grej^friars.     A  simple  stone  marks  the  spot, 
the  inscription  running  as  follows  : 

Sacred 

TO  THE  Memory  of 

Robert  Arbuthnot  Esq. 

Who  Died 

5'"  November,  1803,  Aged  75. 

also 

Mary  Arbuthnot 

His  Daughter 

Who  Died 

8'"  March,  1791,  Aged  16. 

Mrs.  Robert  Arbuthnot  survived  her  husband  fifteen 
years,  living  on  in  Queen  Street,  Edinburgh,  till  her  death 
in  1818.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Roman  Cathohc 
Church,  and  was  in  the  habit  of  attending  service  at 
St.  Mary's,  Broughton  Street  ;  and  though,  on  her  death, 
her  body  was  buried  in  the  then  new  family  vault  under 
St.  John's  Episcopal  Church  in  Prince's  Street,  her  two 
surviving  sons,  William  (afterwards  the  first  Baronet)  and 
George  (afterwards  of  Eldershe),  caused  a  beautiful  tablet, 
ornamented  with  figures  of  Faith  and  Charity  by  Chantrey, 
to  be  placed  in  St.  Mary's  as  a  memorial  of  her  con- 
nection with  that  church.  In  1865  St.  Mary's  Church  was 
destroyed  by  fire,  which  broke  out  in  the  adjoining  theatre, 
several  lives  being  lost  and  many  valuable  pictures  and  monu- 
ments destroyed.  Among  the  relics  that  escaped  was  the 
tablet  to  Mary  Urquhart,  and  her  grandson,  Mr.  George 
Clerk  Arbuthnot  of  Mavisbank,  having  obtained  permission 
to  remove  it,  it  was  subsequently  erected  on  the  south  wall 


ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT    OF    WHITEHILL       299 

of   St.    John's,    near   the   chancel.     The   inscription   runs   as 
follows  : 

Sacred 

TO  THE  Memory  of 

Mrs.  Mary  Arbuthnot 

Who  by  the  Uniform  Piety  of  her  Life 

AND  Her  Conscientious  Discharge  of  her  Duties 

AS  A  Wife  and  Mother 

LEFT  an  Example  worthy  of  Imitation. 

Her  Surviving  Sons 

William  and  George 

Erected  this  Monument  as  a  Tribute  of  Affection 

for  a  Mother  wtho  was  Deeply  Beloved  when  Living 

and  Lamented  when  Removed  from  them 

BY  Death  on  the  14th  Day  of  May,  1818, 

Aged  73  Years. 

The  third  daughter  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  and  Mary  Urquhart, 
EHzabeth  Barbara  Arbuthnot,  was  born  on  the  2nd  June, 
1765.  She  married  (at  Craigston,  21st  June,  1793),  as  his 
second  wife  John  Hunter  (afterwards  Sir  John  Hunter), 
British  Consul  at  Seville  and  St.  Lucar,  Spain.  He  had  pre- 
viously married  (in  1787)  Margaret,  eldest  daughter  of  Dr. 
Charles  Congalton  of  Edinburgh,  by  whom  he  had  at  least 
two  daughters.  Mr.  Hunter  belonged  to  a  cadet  branch  of 
the  ancient  family  of  Hunter  of  Hunterston,  and  matriculated 
his  arms,  with  proper  marks  of  difference,  in  1775,  as  descended 
from  that  family." 

In  1802  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hunter  went  to  Lisbon,  where  Mr. 
Hunter  acted  as  Consul-General  during  the  absence  in  England 
of  the  Right  Hon.  Charles  Arbuthnot,  who  at  that  time  held 
that  post.  In  August  of  the  same  year  Mr.  Hunter  was 
appointed  H.M.'s  Consul-General  and  Assistant  of  Embassy 
at  the  Court  of  Madrid,  and  proceeded  thither  with  the 
additional  status  of  Charge  d' Affaires,  which  he  retained  until 
the  arrival,  in  September,  of  Mr.  John  Hookham  Frere,  the 
British  Envoy. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hunter  found  themselves  in  Madrid  at  an 
exceedingly  critical  period,  and  it  is  much  to  be  regretted  that 
no  letters  of  theirs  are  extant  written  at  this  time.      War 

»  Burke's  Armoury,  Hunter  of  St.  Lucar. 


300  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

between  England  and  France  had  been  renewed  in  May, 
1S03,  and  in  the  course  of  that  and  the  succeeding  year,  protests 
were  constantly  transmitted  to  the  Spanish  Government, 
relating  to  many  and  flagrant  breaches  of  neutrality  on  their 
part.  By  the  Treaty  of  Ildephonso,  Spain  had  bound  herself 
to  give  military  support  to  Napoleon  in  any  war  he  might 
undertake,  whether  the  interests  of  Spain  were  involved  or 
not.  It  was  therefore  arguable  that  from  the  moment  of  war 
being  renewed  in  1803,  Spain  might  be  treated  as  a  belligerent. 
On  the  understanding  that  she  would  not  act  in  accordance 
with  the  terms  of  this  treaty,  the  British  Government  forbore 
to  declare  war,  and  a  precarious  neutrality  was  maintained, 
each  side  watching  the  other  with  unceasing  vigilance  and 
suspicion.  It  was  soon  found  that  Spain,  in  Heu  of  armed 
support,  was  supplying  France  with  vast  sums  of  mone^^  to 
aid  her  in  her  operations — which  included  preparations  for 
the  invasion  of  England — and  in  the  summer  of  1804  further 
disquieting  news  reached  the  Admiralty  of  naval  preparations 
being  pushed  forward  at  Ferrol  and  other  Spanish  ports. 

In  August,  1804,  Mr.  John  Frere  left  Madrid  for  England, 
his  brother,  Mr.  Bartle  Frere,  remaining  in  charge  of  the 
Embassy,  little  anticipating,  no  doubt,  the  sudden  crisis  that 
was  to  develop  in  the  Spanish  capital. 

In  September  Mr.  Hunter  received  a  letter,  dated  the 
15th  of  that  month,  from  Admiral  Cochrane,'  then  stationed 
off  Ferrol,  describing  the  suspicious  activities  of  the  Spanish 
squadron  in  that  port.  They  had  "  dropped  down  the  harbour, 
having  on  board  a  number  of  Spanish  troops,  intending  to 
carry  them  to  the  province  of  Biscay,  then  in  insurrection." 
This  pretext  Admiral  Cochrane  stigmatized  as  "  too  flimsy 
to  go  down,"  and  sent  a  message  to  the  Spanish  Admiral, 
informing  him  that  "  as  the  French  openly  declared  they 
should  sail  with  the  Spanish  Squadron,  he  should  attack  them." ' 

'  Admiral  the  Hon.  Alexander  Cochrane,  sixth  son  of  Thomas,  eighth  Earl 
of  Dundoiiald.  It  was  on  Admiral  Cochrane's  reports  as  to  the  Spanish  prepara- 
tions for  war  that  the  British  Government  took  action. 

'  The  facts  mentioned  by  Admiral  Cochrane  were  immediately  communicated 
by  Mr.  Hunter  to  Lord  Nelson,  in  a  letter  dated  from  Madrid,  22nd  September, 
1804.  They  are  detailed  by  Nelson  in  a  letter  addressed  to  Captain  John  Gore, 
H.M.S.  Medusa,  his  letter  being  dated  from  the  Victory,  13th  October. — See 
Despatches  and  Letters  of  Vice-Admiral  Viscount  Nelson,  edited  by  Sir  N.  Nicolas, 
vol.  vi.  pp.  240-1. 


ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT    OF    WHITEHILL       301 

This  threat,  Mr.  Hunter  wrote  Nelson,  had  an  "  almost  in- 
stantaneous effect."  The  Spanish  squadron  returned  to 
harbour,  the  troops  were  put  on  shore  and  ordered  to  march  to 
their  destination  by  land.  This  termination  of  the  affair 
was  regarded  as  very  satisfactory,  and  it  was  hoped  that  no 
other  untoward  incident  would  occur.  But  ominous  news 
shortly  reached  Madrid.  It  has  been  said  that  Mr.  John 
Frere  had  left  for  England  in  August.  He  stopped  for  a  short 
time  in  Corunna  on  his  way,  and  wrote  from  thence  on  the 
nth  September  to  warn  his  brother  that  the  appearance  of 
things  there  was  "  very  suspicious  and  alarming,  to  say  the 
least  of  it.  An  armament  is  going  on,  and  troops  embarking. 
.  .  .  You  must  remonstrate  against  these  preparations.  .  .  ."  ' 

Mr.  Bartle  Frere  immediately  made  representations  to 
the  Spanish  Court,  but  the  rephes  he  received  were  evasive 
and  unsatisfactory.  On  the  5th  October  Mr.  Hunter  wrote 
to  Lord  Harrowby,  then  Foreign  Secretary,  enclosing  copies  of 
the  correspondence  which  had  passed  between  Mr.  Frere  and 
the  Spanish  minister,  Don  Pedro  Cevallos.  The  latter  declared 
that  all  rumours  as  to  a  naval  armament  were  "  wholly  un- 
founded."' 

On  the  iSth  October  Mr.  Frere  received  instructions  to 
present  an  ultimatum  to  the  Spanish  Government,  upon  which 
he  immediately  demanded  an  audience  with  Don  Pedro, 
which  was  granted  to  him  on  the  21st.  Meanwhile,  on  the 
20th,  Mr.  Hunter  despatched  the  following  letter  to  Lord 
Nelson,  who  was  with  his  squadron  in  the  Mediterranean, 
lying  in  wait  for  the  French  fleet  under  Villeneuve,  at  Toulon  : 

Madrid, 

My  Lord,  °''°^'''  ^°-  ^^°^- 

I  write  this  at  the  express  desire  of  Mr.  B.  Frere,  His 
Majesty's  Charge  d' Affaires  at  this  Court,  to  acquaint  your 
Lordship  that  on  Thursday  night  he  received  a  courier  from 
London,  with  instructions  which  require  his  going  to  the 
Escurial  to  confer  with  the  Minister  of  State  on  certain  points 
of  such  importance,  that  if  a  very  satisfactory  answer  is  not 

•  Memoir  of  John  Hookham  Frere,  prefaced  to  his  Works,  edited  by  his  nephew. 
Sir  H.  Bartle  Frere. 

»  Papers  relative  to  the  Discussions  with  Spain  in  1802,  1803,  and  1804. 
London,  1805. 


302  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

given   by  this   government,  a  rupture   will   probably   ensue. 
The  earliest  information  shall  be  given  to  your  Lordship  of 
the  Result.     I  have  the  honour  to  be,  with  great  respect. 
My  Lord, 
Your  Lordship's  most  obedient,  humble  Servant, 

John  Hunter. 
The  Right  Hon. 

Lord  Viscount  Nelson.' 

Mr.  Frere's  interview  with  Don  Pedro  Cevallos  on  the  21st 
October  was  of  such  an  unsatisfactory  character  that  he 
was  obliged  to  declare  that  "  I  must  expect  a  more  expHcit 
answer,  or  compl}'  with  the  orders  to  demand  my  passports."' 

On  November  2nd  no  improvement  in  the  aspect  of  affairs 
having  taken  place,  Mr.  Frere  wrote  definitely  to  demand 
passports  for  himself,  Mr.  Hunter  and  their  famiUes,  "  together 
with  an  order  to  the  Governor  of  the  Council  to  afford  them 
as  well  as  myself  such  a  guard  as  shall  be  necessary  to  escort 
us  to  the  frontiers." 

The  following  day  Mr.  Frere  again  pressed  for  his  passports, 
and  on  the  5th,  being  still  without  them,  he  wrote  a  further 
letter,  in  which  he  expressed  his  belief  that  "  His  Catholic 
Majesty  does  not  wish  I  should  be  reduced  to  the  very 
extraordinary  alternative,  either  of  departing  without  pass- 
ports, or  of  remaining  at  Madrid,  my  functions  being  at  an 
end  ;  for  I  must  consider  them  as  such,  when  I  do  not  receive 
full  satisfaction  to  the  demands  of  my  Government." 

The  passports  and  guards  were  provided  on  the  7th  of 
November,  and  the  British  envoys,  with  their  families,  left 
Madrid  on  the  14th  for  Lisbon,  on  the  way  to  England.  The 
Spanish  Government  formally  declared  war  on  England  on 
the  I2th  December  following. 

The  war  dragged  on  for  several  years,  Spain  remaining  the 
nominal  ally,  but  actually  the  helpless  vassal,  of  France,  until, 
in  1808,  the  arrogance  of  Napoleon  in  appointing  his  brother 
Joseph  King  of  Spain,  roused  the  national  spirit  of  the  people, 
and  they  rose  as  one  man  against  the  insulting  domination  of 

•  This  letter  is  among  the  Nelson  Correspondence  at  the  British  Museum, 
Add.  MSS.,  34,926,  f.  118. 

2  Papers  relative  to  the  Discussions  with  Spain,  etc.  Letter  from  Mr.  Bartle 
Frere  to  Lord  Harrowby,  27th  October,  1804. 


ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT    OF    WHITEHILL       303 

France.  England  now  found  herself  the  ally  of  a  new  Spain, 
and  Canning  promptly  despatched  military  forces  to  assist 
in  expelling  the  French  invaders.  This  was  the  commencement 
of  the  Peninsular  War,  which  was  not  brought  to  a  close  till 
1813,  when  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  succeeded  in  driving  the  French 
finally  across  the  Pyrenees. 

Meanwhile,  in  March,  1805,  while  Spain  was  still  our  enemy, 
Mr.  Hunter  seems  to  have  returned  to  Madrid,  this  time  in  the 
capacity  of  Agent  for  the  Release  of  British  Prisoners  of  War, 
his  mission  being  recognized  by  the  Spanish  Government. 
Only  a  few  months  later,  the  victory  of  Trafalgar  in  October, 
1805,  dealt  a  crushing  blow,  not  only  to  France  but  also  to 
the  dwindling  naval  power  of  Spain. 

Mr.  Hunter  returned  to  England  in  i8og,  and,  on  the 
loth  December,  1813,  he  was  knighted  by  the  Prince  Regent 
at  Carlton  House.  On  this  occasion  he  was  reappointed 
Consul-General  at  Madrid.  He  was  there  in  1814  and 
1815,  and  on  the  27th  July  of  the  latter  year  he  wrote 
to  Sir  Henry  Wellesley,  British  Ambassador  at  Madrid,  as 
follows  : 

"  Although  I  have  no  immediate  intention  of  sohciting 
leave  to  retire,  yet  it  will  not  be  deemed  unnatural  that,  at 
my  time  of  life  and  after  a  long  period  of  active  service,  I 
should  occasionally  contemplate  the  possibility  of  such  retire- 
ment and  that  I  should  wish  to  assure  myself  of  a  comfortable 
subsistence."  ' 

In  another  letter,  written  on  the  25th  November  that  year  to 
Mr.  WilUam  Hamilton,  he  mentions  his  failing  health  as 
follows  : 

"  .  .  .  I  am  reduced  to  a  state  of  weakness  such  as  I  never 
before  experienced."  He  goes  on  to  say,  however,  that 
"  during  all  this  painful  term  of  indisposition,  I  have  never 
found  it  necessary  for  a  single  day  to  neglect  the  duties  of  my 
office." 

On  the  15th  March,  1816,  he  wrote  to  the  authorities  at 
home,  drawing  their  attention  to  an  application  he  had  made 

'  Confidential  Memorandum  for  the  Right  Hon.  Sir  Henry  Wellesley,  Foreign 
Office,  72/178. 


304  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

in  January  for  leave  of  absence,  and  stating  that  his  health 
was  again  giving  anxiety.'  He  was  still  at  Madrid  on  the 
24th  May,  but  must  soon  after  have  started  on  the  home- 
ward journey,  for  he,  with  his  wife  and  his  two  daughters, 
Jane  and  Margaret,  reached  Bordeaux  on  the  20th  June, 
he  being  then  in  a  state  of  extreme  weakness.  Writing  after 
his  death  to  an  old  Portuguese  servant,  Juana  Serba,  who  had 
long  assumed  the  place  of  an  intimate  friend  of  the  family, 
Lady  Hunter  says  : 

"  Margaret  wrote  to  you  from  Vitoria.  I  was  then  begun 
to  be  very  miserable,  and  had  not  courage  to  write  myself, 
for  I  saw  my  beloved  husband  growing  worse  every  day. 
Still,  his  anxiety  to  get  to  England  kept  him  up,  and  that 
alone  gave  him  strength  to  continue  the  journey.  Many 
days  before  our  arrival  at  Bordeaux,  he  was  obliged  to  be 
lifted  out  of  the  coach  and  put  at  once  upon  a  bed,  where  he 
lay  till  it  was  time  to  set  out  again.  You  may  suppose  what 
a  life  of  agony  this  was  to  me,  and  every  day  terrified  he  would 
be  laid  up  altogether  at  some  out-of-the-way,  uncomfortable 
place,  where  I  could  get  no  assistance  for  him.  However, 
in  that  respect  God  Almighty  heard  my  prayers  and  enabled 
him  to  arrive  at  Bordeaux,  but  which  it  was  ordained  he  was 
never  more  to  quit.  ...  He  never  absolutely  said  he  thought 
himself  dying,  but  from  his  conversation  at  times  I  think  he 
did.  He  often  said  to  me  how  happy  he  was  at  having  been 
by  his  mother  so  early  well  instructed  in  religion,  as  the  im- 
pression had  always  remained  steadily  in  his  mind,  and  that 
he  had  never  felt  a  doubt  or  difficulty  in  his  life,  which  was 
now  such  a  happiness.  .  .  .  He  expressed  such  delight  in 
having  me  constantly  by  him.  He  grew  gradually  weaker, 
without  suffering  pain,  which  was  to  me  a  blessing,  for 
that  I  could  not  have  stood.  ...  At  a  quarter  past  four 
on  Wednesday  afternoon,  the  third  of  July,  he  gently 
breathed  his  last,  without  any  pain  whatever,  and  a  sweet 
smile  came  over  his  countenance  the  minute  after,  which 
minimas '  said  they  were  sure  was  just  to  let  us  know  he 
was  happy  in  heaven,  but  O  God,  how  wretched  I  felt ! 
You,   my  dear  Juana,    will   conceive    it    and    will   sincerely 

•  Foreign  Of&ce,  72/189.  «  Her  daughters. 


ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT    OF    WHITEHILL       805 

regret  him  also.  He  was  one  of  your  most  attached  and 
warmest  friends  !  "  ■ 

Lady  Hunter  goes  on  to  describe  her  husband's  grave, 
which,  she  says,  is  in  the  Enghsh  burial-ground,  "  in  the 
sweetest  situation  possible,  within  a  flower  garden,  and  I 
left  directions  for  a  tombstone  to  be  erected.  I  even  gave 
myself  in  writing  what  I  wish  engraved  upon  it,  so  you  see 
at  least,  my  dear  Juana,  that,  unhappy  as  I  am,  I  have  had 
all  my  senses  about  me.  ..."  Referring  to  the  reduced 
circumstances  in  which  she  was  left,  Lady  Hunter  writes  of  her 
husband  :  "  How  often  he  regretted  his  want  of  fortune,  solely 
on  my  account,  but  thank  God  all  his  debts  were  paid,  and  no 
one  except  myself  and  children  are  the  poorer  for  his  death  ; 
and  to  us  the  good  and  honorable  character  he  has  left,  is 
greater  satisfaction  than  if  he  had  left  us  riches  with  the 
reverse.  ..." 

Lady  Hunter  returned  to  England  with  her  two  daughters, 
and  in  June,  1820,  the  eldest  of  them,  Jane,  married  Mr.  David 
Charles  Guthrie.'  The  following  year  Lady  Hunter  writes 
to  Juana  Serba  with  regard  to  this  marriage  as  follows  : 

"  Many  thanks,  my  dear  Friend,  for  your  congratulation 
on  minima's  marriage  ;  none  could  I  receive  that  I  believe 
more  sincere,  or  coming  more  immediately  from  the  heart, 
and  I  rejoice  to  be  able  to  tell  you  that  a  happier  woman  than 
Mrs.  Charles  Guthrie  is,  I  do  not  believe  exists.  She  every 
day  discovers  more  cause  for  loving  and  esteeming  her  hus- 
band. .  .  ." 

Four  years  later  Lady  Hunter's  second  daughter,  Margaret, 
married  Captain  Basil  Hall.  Lady  Hunter  lived  latterly  in 
Harley  Street,  and  died  there  on  the  28th  April,  1841.     Some 

•  In  his  will,  proved  the  following  September  by  Dame  Elizabeth  Barbara 
Hunter,  Sir  John  left  a  legacy  of  ;f20  a  year  to  Juana  Margarida  Serba,  "  who 
lived  with  Lady  Hunter  as  maid  for  upwards  of  eight  years  ...  in  testimony 
of  my  grateful  sense  of  her  zealous,  affectionate  and  faithful  services."  He 
requested  any  of  liis  cliildren  who  might  be  able  to  afford  it  to  make  an  addition 
to  this  annuity. 

»  Her  son,  James  Alexander  Guthrie  of  Craigie,  married  Elinor,  daughter 
of  Admiral  Sir  James  Stirling,  Governor  of  Western  Australia  (who  married  secondly 
Foster  Fitzgerald  Arbuthnot,  see  pp.  320-1),  and  was  father  of  the  late  Mr.  David 
Charles  Guthrie  of  Craigie,  and  also  of  the  Hon.  Mrs.  Henry  Denison,  by  whom 
Lady  Hunter's  letters  were  kindly  lent  to  the  writer  for  the  purposes  of  this 
book. 


306  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

letters  written  by  her  brother,  George  Arbuthnot  of  EldersUe, 
to  his  daughter  Jane '  contain  references  to  Lady  Hunter's 
last  illness.  He  had  hastened  to  London  on  hearing  that  she 
was  not  well.  Writing  from  Harley  Street  on  26th  April, 
he  says  :  "  She  sent  for  me  to  her  room  and  seemed  pleased 
to  see  me,  saying  two  or  three  times,  '  My  dear  Brother,'  and 
'  My  dear  George,'  and  then  held  out  her  hand  to  me.  .  .  . 
Once  she  said, '  I  am  quite  happy,  I  wish  nothing  to  be  altered.' 
..."  Referring,  the  following  day,  to  his  daughter's  wish 
to  come  to  London  and  nurse  her  aunt,  he  says  that  he  had 
mentioned  this  to  Lady  Hunter,  but  "  she  said  that  ill  as  she 
now  is,  nobody  could  be  of  any  service  to  her  in  the  way  of 
Society,  and  that  for  the  mere  comfort  of  the  feeling  of  having 
a  relation  near  her,  she  said  '  of  all  human  Beings,  I  prefer 
yourself,  for  you  understand  my  ways  so  well.'  ....  Finding 
this  to  be  her  feehng,  I  did  not  think  it  right  to  press  the  matter, 
more  particularly  as  it  is  no  inconvenience  to  me  to  stay  here 
and  attend  this  dear  old  Lady.  ..." 

Lady  Hunter  died  the  following  day  (28th  April),  and  was 
buried  at  Ockley,  in  the  family  vault  built  by  her  brother. 
There  is  a  tablet  to  her  memory  on  the  south  wall  of  the  church. 
She  had  in  all  three  children :  Robert  John,  who  died  in 
Madras  in  1824 ;  Jane  Campbell  (Mrs.  Guthrie)  ;  and 
Margaret  Congalton  (Mrs.  Basil  Hall).  On  Lady  Hunter's 
death  her  brother  George  was  left  the  last  survivor  of  the 
family  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Haddo-Rattray  and  Mary 
Urquhart.  A  very  deep  affection  had  existed  between  this 
brother  and  sister,  as  is  evident  from  many  expressions  in 
his  letters  and  diaries,  some  of  which  have  been  quoted  else- 
where. He  died  two  years  later,  and  was  also  buried  in  the 
vault  at  Ockley.  A  portrait  of  Lady  Hunter  will  be  found 
facing  p.  398,  having  been  reproduced  from  the  original  in 
the  possession  of  her  great-grand-daughter,  the  Hon.  Mrs. 
Henry  Denison. 

Sir  William  Arbuthnot,  first  Baronet,  eldest  surviving  son 
of  Robert  Arbuthnot,  second  of  Haddo-Rattray,  and  Mary 
Urquhart,  was  born  24th  December,  1766,  and  succeeded  his 
father  as  Secretary  to  the  Board  of  Trustees.  In  1814  he 
obtained  a  grant  of  arms  from  the  Lyon  Court,  when  he  was 

'  These  letters  are  in  my  husband's  possession. 


ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT    OF    A^TIITEHILL        307 

authorized  to  use  the  famihar  Crescent  and  Mullets  argent 
on  an  azure  field,  for  Arbuthnot,  "  all  within  a  Bordure  Or, 
charged  with  three  Boars'  Heads  erased  Gules  for  difference 
and  to  show  his  maternal  descent  from  the  family  of  Urquhart 
of  Cromarty,"  etc.' 

In  1816  he  was  Lord  Provost  of  Edinburgh,  and  in  that 
capacity  received  the  Grand  Duke  Nicholas  of  Russia,  who 
paid  a  visit  to  the  city  that  year.  Of  this  event  Sir  Walter 
Scott  wrote  as  follows  to  the  Duke  of  Buccleuch,  from  Edin- 
burgh, 14th  December,  1816  ("  Dicky  Gossip  "  was  the  nick- 
name by  which  Mr.  William  Arbuthnot  was  known  to  his 
intimates). 

"  He  (the  Grand  Duke)  is  to  be  entertained  by  the  Advocate 
on  Wednesday,  and  the  Provost  on  Thursday.  It  is  lucky 
we  have  such  a  respectable  father  of  the  City  at  present.  He 
may  sing  with  Cicero — 

'  O  fortunatam  natam  me  consule  Romam.' 

Indeed,  he  deserves  to  be  elevated  from  Dickie  Gossip,  as  we 
used  to  term  him  of  yore,  into  Sir  Richard  Gossip.  Certainly 
I  have  seen  provosts  who  would  have  made  strange  work 
upon  such  occasions."  ' 

In  1822  Mr.  William  Arbuthnot  was  again  Lord  Provost 
when  George  IV  paid  a  visit  to  Edinburgh,  and  on  the  24th 
August  that  year  the  King  was  entertained  at  dinner  by  Mr. 
Arbuthnot  and  the  Corporation  at  the  Parhament  House. 
On  this  historic  occasion  the  King  sat  at  the  centre  of  a 
"  half-moon  "  table,  with  Mr.  William  Arbuthnot,  the  Lord 
Provost,  at  his  right  hand.  On  his  left  sat  the  Earl  of  ErroU, 
High  Constable,  and  a  large  and  brilliant  company  had 
assembled  to  do  honour  to  His  Majesty. 

After  dinner  the  Lord  Provost  rose  and  proposed  the 
King's  health  in  a  short  speech,  to  which  His  Majesty  responded 

•  It  cannot  be  too  often  stated  that  no  member  of  the  Arbuthnot  family 
not  descended  from  the  first  Baronet  has  the  right  to  use  the  Bordure  with  the 
Boars'  Heads  as  granted  to  him  "  and  the  heirs-male  of  his  Body  as  their  proper 
Arms  and  Bearings  in  all  time  coming."  As  far  as  has  been  noticed,  this  rule 
is  more  honoured  in  the  breach  than  in  the  observance. 

'  Familiar  Letters  of  Sir  Walter  Scott,  vol.  i.  p.  383.  David  Douglas,  Edinburgh, 
1894. 


808  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

with  grace  and  good  humour  ;  the  healths  of  other  members 
of  the  Royal  Family  were  then  drunk,  being  greeted  with 
extraordinary  enthusiasm,  and  this  was  followed  by  selections 
of  appropriate  music. 

We  read  in  the  Morning  Chronicle  that  "  when  the  last 
note  of  the  music  had  ceased,  His  Majesty  again  rose,  and  the 
Lord  Provost  having  knelt  and  kissed  hands,  the  King  lifted 
him  up  and,  turning  to  the  company,  proposed  '  The  Health 
of  Sir  Wilham  Arbuthnot,  Baronet,  and  the  Corporation 
of  Edinburgh.'  " 

The  distinction  thus  unexpectedly  conferred  upon  Mr. 
Arbuthnot  is  said  to  have  visibly  embarrassed  him.  According 
to  the  Morning  Chronicle,  "  the  newly-made  Baronet  blushed, 
the  King  smiled,  the  company  applauded  and  sang  '  Within 
a  mile  of  sweet  Edinboro'  Town.'  " 

The  last  toast  proposed  by  the  King  was,"  The  Chieftains 
and  Clans  ;  and  may  God  Almighty  bless  the  Land  of  Cakes  !  " 

In  1829,  when  the  contest  over  Catholic  Emancipation  was 
at  its  height.  Sir  William,  with  Scott  and  others,  gave  their 
active  support  to  the  proposed  measure.  In  Sir  Walter 
Scott's  Journal  of  9th  March,  1829,  we  read  as  follows : 
"  After  breakfast,  I  went  to  Sir  Wilham  Arbuthnot's,  and  met 
there  a  select  party  of  Tories,  to  decide  whether  we  should  act 
with  the  Whigs,  by  adopting  their  petition  in  favour  of  the 
Catholics.  I  was  not  free  from  apprehension  that  the  petition 
might  be  put  in  such  language  as  I,  at  least,  should  be  unwilling 
to  authenticate  by  my  subscription.  The  Solicitor  was  voucher 
that  they  would  keep  the  terms  quite  general,  whereupon  we 
subscribed  the  requisition  for  a  meeting,  with  a  slight  altera- 
tion, affirming  that  it  was  our  desire  not  to  have  intermeddled, 
had  not  the  anti-Catholics  pursued  that  course  ;  and  so  the 
Whigs  and  we  are  embarked  in  the  same  boat — vogtie  la 
galere."  ■ 

The  following  account  of  Sir  William  Arbuthnot  is  given 
in  the  Memoirs  of  a  Highland  Lady,''  where  the  author,  after 
describing  Edinburgh  society,  writes  as  follows  : 

»  Journal  of  Sir  Walter  Scott,  vol.  ii.  p.  247.  David  Douglas,  Edinburgh, 
1891. 

»  Memoirs  of  a  Highland  Lady.  The  Autobiography  of  Elizabeth  Grant  of 
Rothiemurchus,  afterwards  Mrs.  Smith  of  Baltiboys,  1797-1830,  edited  by  Lady 
Strachey,  pp.  308-9.     John  Murray,  London,  191 1. 


M 


ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT    OF    WHITEHILL       309 

"  The  Lord  Provost  of  Edinburgh  was  seldom  in  any  of 
these  sets  ;  he  was  generally  a  tradesman  of  repute  among 
his  equals,  and  in  their  society  he  was  content  to  abide.  This 
year  the  choice  happened  to  fall  on  a  little  man  of  good  family, 
highly  connected  in  the  mercantile  world,  married  to  an 
Inverness  Alves,  and  much  liked.  I  don't  remember  what 
his  pursuit  was,  whether  he  was  a  banker,  or  agent  for  the 
great  Madras  house  his  brother  George  was  the  head  of, 
but  he  was  a  kind,  hospitable  man,  his  wife  Mrs.  Arbuthnot 
very  Highland,  and  they  were  general  favourites.  .  .  .  The 
name  amongst  us  for  Sir  William  Arbuthnot  was  Dicky 
Gossip,  and  richly  he  deserved  it,  for  he  knew  all  that  was 
doing  everywhere  to  everybody,  all  that  was  pleasant  to  know  ; 
a  bit  of  ill-nature  or  a  bit  of  ill-news  he  never  uttered.  After 
a  visit  from  him  and  his  excellent  wife — they  were  fond  of 
going  about  together — a  deal  of  what  was  going  on  seemed  to 
have  suddenly  enlightened  their  listeners,  and  most  agreeabty. 
A  tale  of  scandal  never  spread  from  them,  nor  yet  a  sarcasm. 
They,  from  their  situation,  saw  a  great  deal  of  company,  and 
no  parties  could  be  pleasanter  than  those  they  gave." 

Sir  William  died  very  suddenly  in  his  office  at  the  Board 
of  Trustees  i8th  September,  1829,  and  was  buried  at  St. 
John's  Episcopal  Church,  Edinburgh.  He  had  married  (13th 
September,  1800)  Anne,  fourth  daughter  of  Dr.  John  Alves 
of  Shipland,  Inverness-shire,  and  by  her  (who  died  19th  July, 
1846)  had  issue — 

I.  Robert  Keith  (Sir),  second  Baronet.,  born  in  Edin- 
burgh 9th   September,   1801,  to   whom   we  shall 
return. 
II.  John    Alves    of    Coworth    Park,    Berks,    born    3rd 
October,  1802,  of  whom  presently. 

III.  George   Clerk  of   Mavisbank,  Midlothian,  born  7th 

October,  1803,  of  whom  presently. 

IV,  Archibald    Francis,    born    8th    January,    1805,    of 

whom  presently. 
V.  William   Urquhart    of   Bridgen   Place,    Kent,   born 

24th  March,  1807,  of  whom  presently 
VI.  James  Edward  of  Bon  Air,   Mauritius,   born   12th 
January,  1809,  of  whom  presently. 


310  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

VII.  Henry   Dundas,   born   24th   September,    1811,   died 

in  1847,  unmarried.     Buried  in  the  Old  Cemetery 

at  Wiesbaden,   where  there  is  an   inscription  to 

his   memory. 

I.  Helen  BailUe,'   born  20th  December,  1805,  died  at 

Ohvebank,  30th  March,  1807. 

II.  Mary,  born  25th  April,  1814,  died  at  Leamington, 

5th  February,  1838  ;    buried  in  the  family  vault 

at  St.  John's,  Prince's  Street,  Edinburgh. 

III.  Elizabeth  Helen,  born  24th  September,  i8ig,  died 

30th  April,  1825,  aged  5  ;    buried  at  St.  John's. 

IV.  Anne,    born    in     Charlotte    Square     i8th    January, 

1822,  married   (1849)   Lieut. -Colonel   Hugh  Inglis 

of  Kingsmills,  Inverness,  and  died  6th  January, 

1900,  aged  jy,  leaving  issue  ;   buried  at  St.  John's. 

John  Alves  Arbuthnot  of  Coworth   Park,   Old  Windsor, 

Berks,  second  son  of  Sir  WilHam  Arbuthnot,  first  Baronet, 

and  Anne  Alves,  was  born  in  Queen  Street,  Edinburgh,  3rd 

October,  1802.     He  was  High  Sheriff  for  Berkshire  in  1873. 

He  married  (2nd  June,   1832)  his  first  cousin,  Mary,  eldest 

daughter  of  George  Arbuthnot  of  Elderslie,  Surrey  (p.  381). 

He  died  29th  August,  1875,  and  was  buried  at  Sunningdale, 

having  by  her  (who  died  30th  March,  1859)  had  issue — 

I.  William,  of  Ham  Manor,  Newbury,  Berks.,  formerly 
of  Cowarth  Park,  Windsor,  born  14th  April,  1833  ; 
D.L.  for  County  Berkshire ;  married  first  (5th 
January,  1858),  Adolphine  Eliza  Macleod,  second 
daughter  of  Edward  Lecot,  French  Consul  at 
Madras,  which  lady  died  2nd  December  following 
s.-p. ;  and  secondly  (12th  July,  1865)  Margaret 
Rosa,  eldest  daughter  of  John  Campbell  of  Kil- 
berry,  Co.  Argyll,  and  died  9th  February,  1896, 
having  by  her  (who  died  at  Ham  Manor,  Newbury, 
nth  May,  1918)  had  issue — 

(i)  Adolphine  Mary  born  at  Madras  12th 
January,  1868,  married  (22nd  December, 
1897)  Charles  Edward  Brownrigg,  and 
died  i8th  December,  1904,  leaving  issue. 

»  Lady  Arbuthnot's  mother  was  Helen  Baillie  of  Duncan ;   this  child  was 
therefore  named  after  her. 


ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT    OF    WHITEHILL       311 

(2)  Alice  Marion,  born  at  Leghorn  8th  November, 

1869,  married  (iSth  April,  igoo)  Edward 
Herbert  Fox  of  Ecchinswell,  Hants,  and 
has  issue. 

(3)  Ivy  Florence,  born  at  Park  Lodge,  Sunning- 

dale,  30th  January,  1871. 
IL  George  (Colonel),  late  R.H.A.,  of  Norton  Court, 
Gloucestershire,  D.L.  for  County  Hereford,  M.P. 
for  Hereford  from  1871  to  1874,  and  again  from 
1878  to  1880 ;  born  9th  June,  1836 ;  married 
(i2th  October,  1870)  Caroline  Emma  Nepean, 
youngest  daughter  of  Captain  Andrew  Nepean 
Aitchison,  H.E.LC.S.,  and  died  26th  December, 
1912,  having  by  her  had  issue — 

(i)  John  Bernard  (Major),  Scots  Guards,  M.V.O., 
is  Knight  of  Grace  of  the  Order  of  St. 
John  of  Jerusalem ;  born  17th  May, 
1875  ;  entered  the  Army  in  1896  ;  served 
in  South  Africa  1900 ;  was  A.D.C.  and 
Private  Secretary  to  the  Governor  and 
Commander-in-Chief  of  Hong  Kong  1902-3 ; 
Extra  A.D.C.  to  the  Governor  of  Ceylon 
1907  ;  retired  as  Major  1913  ;  rejoined  Scots 
Guards  1914 ;  transferred  to  Irish  Guards 
and  to  General  Staff ;  appointed  Brigade- 
Major,  Brigade  of  Guards,  1914.  He 
married  (8th  June,  1903)  Olive,  only 
daughter  of  Sir  Henry  Blake,  G.C.M.G.,  of 
Myrtle  Grove,  Youghal,  Co.  Cork,  and  has 
issue  :  (i)  David  George,  born  7th  April, 
1905  ;  (2)  Terence  John,  born  8th  October, 
1906 ;  (3)  Bernard  Kieran  Charles,  born 
8th  November,  1909 ;  (4)  Myles  Henry, 
born  17th  August,  1911 ;  (i)  Irene  Jean 
Grace,  born  25th  April,  1904  ;  (2)  Patricia 
Evangeline  Anne,  born  17th  March,  1914. 

(2)  Hugh  Archibald,  born  4th  December,  1885. 

(3)  Ronald    George    Urquhart,    i6th    Lancers, 

attached  to  R.A.F.,  born  8th  October, 
1891 ;   killed  flying,  3rd  December,  1918, 


312  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

(i)  Frances  Muriel,  born  22nd  November,  1871, 
married  (6th  July,  1910)  Captain  S.  J.  C. 
Brichta,  Lancashire  Fusiliers,  son  of  Philip 
Brichta. 

(2)  Dorothy  Gertrude,  born  20th  January,  1878, 

married  (3rd  February,  1904)  Brig. -General 
Hugh  Frederick  Bateman  -  Champain, 
Indian  Army,  second  son  of  Colonel  Sir 
John  Bateman-Champain,  K.C.M.G.,  R.F. 

(3)  Mary  Christabel,  born  12th  September,  1879, 

married  first  (23rd  October,  1907)  George 
Archibald  Wallace  Young  of  Stratton 
Audley  Hall,  Bicester,  Oxford,  and 
secondly  Captain  Alexander  Gifford  Lud- 
ford  Astley,'  14th  Hussars,  and  has  issue 
by  both  marriages. 

III.  Charles  George,  a  Director  of  the  Bank  of  England, 

one  of  H.M.  Lieutenants  for  the  City  of  London, 
born  20th  October,  1846. 

IV.  Hugh  Lyttelton,  born  27th  September,  1851,  married 

(25th  September,  1879)  Ehzabeth  Fountaine,  only 
daughter  of  Fountaine  Walker  of  Ness  Castle, 
Inverness-shire,  and  has  had  issue — 

(i)    Henry   Charles,   born   ist   May,    died   31st 

August,  1894. 
(i)  Alice  Maud,  born  14th  July,  1880,  married 
(15th  January,  1918)  her  cousin,  Brigadier- 
General    Sir   Dalrymple  Arbuthnot,  fifth 
Baronet  (p.  328). 
I.  Anne,  died  unmarried  i6th  August,  1909. 
II.  Mary. 

III.  Florence. 

IV.  Jane  (twin  with  Florence),  died  1891. 

V.  Ahce  Magdalen,   born   17th  September,   1843,   died 

ist  May,   1869. 

VI.  Laura  Gertrude,  born  1845,  died  1852. 

George  Clerk  Arbuthnot  of  Marisbank,  Midlothian,  third 

son  of  Sir  WilHam  Arbuthnot,  first  Baronet,  and  Anne  Alves, 

was    born    at    Olivebank,    7th    October,    1803,    and   married 

first  (7th  November,  1837)  Agnes,  daughter  of  John  Rait  of 

I  Killed  in  action,  5th  March,  1919. 


ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT    OF    WHITEHILL       313 

Anniston,  Forfarshire  ;  and  secondly  (loth  January,  1845) 
Caroline  Ramsay,  daughter  of  James  Hay  of  Collepriest  (by 
his  wife,  Lady  Mary  Ramsay,  fourth  daughter  of  George,  sixth 
Earl  of  Dalhousie).  He  died  21st  February,  1876,  and  was 
buried  at  St.  John's,  Edinburgh.  By  his  first  wife  (who  died 
I2th  March,  1842,  and  was  buried  at  Ockley,  Surrey)  he  had 
issue — 

I.  Emily,  born  14th  June,  1840,  married  (27th  November, 
i860)  John,  first  Lord  Inverclyde,  and  died  14th 
February,  1901,  leaving  issue. 

By  his  second  wife,  who  died  9th  August,  191 1,  and  was 
buried  at  St.  John's,  Edinburgh,  Mr.  Arbuthnot  had  issue — 

I.  George    (Ven.),  M.A.,  Oxon,    D.D.,   Archdeacon   of 
Coventry  since  1908,  born  24th  May,  1846  ;    was 
ordained    to    the    curacy    of    Arundel    in    1872  ; 
became   Vicar   in    1873  ;    Vicar    of    Stratford-on- 
Avon   1879  ;   is  author  of  The  Passion  of  Christ, 
Shakespeare's   Sermons,    and    other   publications ; 
married  (19th  November,  1885)  Margaret  Evelyn, 
eldest  daughter  of  the  Very  Rev.  Herbert  Mor- 
timer Luckock,  D.D.,  Dean  of  Lichfield. 
IL  Charles   Ramsay   (Admiral),   late   Naval   A.D.C.    to 
King    Edward    VII,    born    5th    February,    1850, 
married    (8th    January,    1880)    Emily    Caroline, 
second  daughter  of  Rear-Admiral  C.  F.  Schomberg, 
and  died  30th  September,   1913,  having  by  her 
(who   died   5th  December,    1910)    had  issue — 
(i)  Geoffrey     Schomberg,     Lieut. -Commander, 
R.N.,  born  i8th  January,  1885,  served  in 
the   European   War   (Despatches,   D.S.O. 
and   Legion   of    Honour),   married  (22nd 
October,  1913)  Jessie  Marguerite,  second 
daughter  of  William  Henderson  of  Berkeley 
House,  Frome,  and  has  issue  a  son,  Peter 
Charles  Reginald,   born   i6th  September, 
1915,  and  a  daughter,  Mary  Marguerite, 
born  17th  August,  1914. 
(i)  Evelyn  Mary,  born  12th  February,  1881. 


314  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

(2)  Beatrice  Caroline,  born  5th  February,  1883, 
married  (21st  April,  igo6)  Captain  Robert 
Henry  Ramsay  Mackay,  R.N.,  only  sur- 
viving son  of  Henry  Ramsay  Mackay  of 
Petham  House,  Canterbury,  and  has  issue. 
III.  James  of  Ballure,  Co.  Argyll,  born  21st  July,  1855, 
married  first   (22nd  April,   1879)   Mary  Steward, 
daughter  of  Captain  R.  N.  Taylor,  and  died  i6th 
April,  1913,  having  had  issue — 

(i)  George  Ramsay,  born  28th  June,  1880. 

(2)  Charles  Gwynne,  born  21st  May,  1881,  died 

7th  July  following. 

(3)  Francis  Clementi,  born  9th  February,  1883, 

died  unmarried   1905. 
Mr.  James  Arbuthnot,  married  secondly  (22ndOctober, 
1897)  Mary  Margaret,  only  daughter  of  the  late 
Lowry  Mann  of  Earlston,  Cheshire  (she  died  s.p. 
26th  August,  1905). 
II.  Mary  Hay,  born  1847,  died  1870. 

Archibald  Francis  Arbuthnot,  fourth  son  of  Sir  William 
Arbuthnot,  first  Baronet,  and  Anne  Alves,  was  born  8th 
January,  1805,  married  (12th  December,  1837)  the  Hon. 
Gertrude  Sophia  Gough,  daughter  of  Field-Marshal  Viscount 
Gough,  K.P.,  G.C.B.,  and  died  31st  March,  1879.  He  was 
buried  in  Brompton  Cemetery.  By  his  wife  (who  died  21st 
November,  1882)  he  left  issue — 

I.  WiUiam  (Major-General),  C.B.,  late  14th  Hussars, 
born  27th  September,  1838,  married  first  (26th 
April,  1865),  the  Hon.  AUce  Charlotte  Pitt-Rivers, 
fourth  daughter  of  George,  fourth  Lord  Rivers. 
(This  lady  was  killed  by  lightning  when  in 
Switzerland  on  her  wedding  tour,  21st  June, 
1865.)  He  married  secondly  (20th  July,  1869) 
SeHna,  daughter  of  Sir  Thomas  Moncreiffe,  seventh 
Baronet,  and  thirdly  (2nd  December,  1879),  Edith 
Anne,  daughter  of  Major-General  J.  L.  Pearse, 
of  the  Madras  Army  (who  married  secondly  the 
Comte  de  Miremont),  and  died  12th  September, 
1893,  having  by  his  second  wife  (who  died  26th 
November,  1877)  had  issue — 


ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT    OF    A^TIITEHILL       315 

(i)  Gerald     Archibald,     M.P.,     of    43    Princes 
Gardens,      2nd      Lieutenant      Grenadier 
Guards,     R.N.V.R.,      in      Royal     Navy, 
1886-92,    M.P.    for    Burnley,    January- 
December,  1910  ;   Vice-Chancellor  of  the 
Primrose  League  ;    Private  Secretary   to 
the  President  of  the  Board  of  Agriculture 
1895  to  1899  ;  Assistant  Private  Secretary 
to  the  President  of  the  Local  Government 
Board,  1901  to   1902  ;    Assistant  Private 
Secretary    to    the    Chief    Secretary    for 
Ireland,    1905   to    1906  ;    born   19th   De- 
cember,   1872,    married     (6th    February, 
1894)    Mary  Johanna   Antoinette  Dulcie, 
younger  daughter  of  Charles  Oppenheim, 
of  40,  Great  Cumberland  Place,  London, 
and  was  killed  in  action  25th  September, 
1916,  leaving  issue  :  (i)  Frances  Gertrude, 
born    2ist     March,    1896,    married    (23rd 
March,   1918)    Captain   Kenneth    Lindsay 
Stewart  ;    (2)    Cynthia    Isabelle   Theresa, 
born   15th  January,  1898  ;    (3)  Dorothea 
Helen  Mary,  born  27th  July,  1901. 
IL  Hugh  Gough,  formerly  one  of  H.M.'s  Lieutenants  for 
the  City  of  London,  born  29th  January,  1840,  mar- 
ried (9th  June,  1864)  Caroline,  youngest  daughter  of 
the  Rev.  Capel  Molyneux,  B.A.,  eldest  son  of  John 
Molyneux  of  Gravel  Hill,  Bridgnorth,  and  grandson 
of  the  Right  Hon .  Sir  Capel  Molyneux,  third  Baronet , 
and  died  ist  June,  1905,  having  by  her  had  issue — 
(i)  Lionel  Gough,  born  24th  September,   1867, 
married  (i8th  April,  1894)  Violet  Rebecca, 
youngest    daughter    of    Sir   John    Henry 
Morris,  K.C.ST.,  of  Queen's  Gate,  London. 
(2)  Capel  Robert,  born  27th   November,   1868, 

died  in  January,  1870. 
(1)  Constance  Gertrude,  born  17th  July,  1866, 
married  (25th  January,  1900)  Ernest 
Luxmoore  Marshall,  son  of  F.  Marshall, 
Registrar  of  the  Court  of  Stannaries  of 
Cornwall  and  Devon. 


316  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

III.  Archibald    Ernest    (Major)    of     Westfield    Meadow, 

Hayling  Island,  8th  Madras  Light  Cavalry,  born 
5th  January,  1841,  married  (14th  November, 
1872)  Anne  Elizabeth,  widow  of  Surgeon-Major 
Alexander  Russell  Atkinson,  M.D.,  Bengal  Army, 
and  daughter  of  William  Walker  Ball  of  Capetown, 
and  has  issue — 

(i)  Archibald  Hugh,  (Captain),  59th  Scinde 
Rifles,  born  7th  December,  1875,  married 
(25th  February,  1900)  Gertrude  Alice, 
eldest  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Frederick 
Charles  Green,  Vicar  of  Denmead,  Hants 
(she  died  at  Peshawar,  nth  November, 
1918),  and  has  had  issue  :  (i)  Archibald 
Hugh  Gough,  born  12th  November,  1900  ; 
(2)  Patrick  Charles,  born  26th  November, 
1902  ;  (3)  Ernest  Douglas,  born  15th  Sep- 
tember, 1905. 

(2)  Ernest  Kennaway,  Commander,  R.N.,  D.S.C, 

served  in  the  European  War  (Despatches, 
Promotion),  born  3rd  September,  1876, 
married  (ist  June,  igio)  Evie,  daughter  of 
Richard  Bentley  Greene,  of  Laburnam 
Grove,  Portsmouth  (she  died  in  September 
1917). 

(3)  WiUiam  Patrick  (Major),  R.M.L.I.,  born  28th 

April,  1878,  married  (30th  June,  1904) 
OHve,  only  daughter  of  Wilham  Gregory 
Walker,  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
New  South  Wales,  and  has  issue  :  (i)  Olive 
Joan,  born  2nd  April,  1905  ;  (2)  Patricia 
Gwynne,  born  27th  March,  1906. 
(i)  Edith  Gertrude,  married  (30th  July,  1903) 
Basil  Stephenson,  of  Shanghai,  China,  and 
of  Lowood,  Woldingham,  Surrey,  and  has 
issue. 

IV.  Robert    George,    M.A.,    barrister,    born    20th    May, 

1843,  married  (22nd  December,  1885)  Helen  Mary, 
daughter  of  Sir  WiUiam  Muir,  K.C.S.I.,  LL.D., 
D.C.L.,  Principal  of  the  University  of  Edinburgh, 
and  died  19th  March,  1890,  leaving  issue — 


ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT    OF    WHITEHILL       317 

(i)  Robert  Wemyss  Muir  (Captain),  R.F.A. 
Special  Reserve,  born  1889  ;  served  in  the 
European  War ;  called  up  5th  August, 
1914  ;  sailed  for  France  17th  ;  wounded 
at  Loos  26th  September  (French  Croix 
de  Guerre,  M.S.  and  1914  Star)  ;  ended 
the  war  as  Captain  on  the  3rd  Army 
H.Q.  Staff;  married  (3rd  July,  1915) 
Mary,  eldest  daughter  of  Norman  Coghill 
of  Almington  Hall,  Market  Drayton,  and 
has  issue  :  (i)  Mary  Juliet  Gough,  born 
2nd  April,  1917  ;  (2)  Elizabeth  Christian, 
born  4th  December,  1918. 

(i)  Jean  Marjorie,  born  27th  November,  1886, 
married  (3rd  June,  1913)  Major  Arthur 
Frederick  Dudgeon,  O.B.E.,  of  Gogar 
Bank,  Midlothian,  and  has  issue. 

(2)  Elizabeth  Gertrude  Gough,  twin  with 
Robert ;  served  as  a  nurse  during  the 
European  War,  and  was  in  Southern 
Russia  in  1917  with  the  Scottish 
Woman's  Hospitals  attached  to  the 
Serbian  Division  ;  returned  with  Dr.  Elsie 
IngUs'  unit  in  November  that  year,  the 
Germans  and  Austrians  having  then  tem- 
porarily over-run  Serbia.  Miss  Arbuthnot, 
who  received  the  Serbian  Medal  in 
common  with  the  other  members  of  the 
unit,  was  one  of  those  who  nursed  Dr. 
Elsie  Inglis  during  her  last  illness,  and 
some  impressions  of  the  great  heroine  of 
the  Serbian  campaign,  written  by  Miss 
Arbuthnot,  have  been  printed  by  Lady 
Frances  Balfour  in  her  Life  oj  Dr.  Elsie 
Inglis.  In  1918,  the  fortunes  of  the  war 
having  dramatically  changed,  the  Serbian 
Army  once  more  took  the  field  in  the 
Balkans,  and  in  a  series  of  briUiant  ad- 
vances recaptured  its  desolated  territory. 
Miss  Arbuthnot  went  out  again  with  the 


318  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

unit,  which  still  bore  Dr.  Inglis's  name 
and  remained  in  Serbia  till  the  early  part 
of    1919,   when   she    finally   returned    to 
England  from  Serajevo. 
V.  George   Gough    (Sir),   born  28th   August,   1848,   for 
some  years  partner  in  the  firm  of  Arbuthnot  and 
Co.  of  Madras,  six  times  Member  of  the  Legislative 
Council,  seven  times  Chairman  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  Madras,  Fellow  of  the  Madras  Univer- 
sity,   Chairman   of   the    Famine    Relief   Fund   in 
1900 ;     married    (9th    September,    1873)    Isabella 
Albinia,  daughter  of  the  Hon.  and  Rev.  Richard 
Cavendish   Boyle,   son   of    Edmund,   eighth   Earl 
of  Cork,  and  has  had  issue — 
(i)    Ellinor   Mary,  born   12th  September,   1874, 

died  9th  August,  1875. 
(2)  CeciUa  Albinia,  born  30th  September,  1881, 
married  (loth  October,  1903)  Captain  the 
Hon.    Robert   Lygon,   Grenadier   Guards, 
third  son  of  the  sixth  Earl  of  Beauchamp, 
and  has  issue. 
I.  Frances,  married  (27th  November,  1866)  the  Right 
Hon.   Sir  John   Kennaway,  third  Baronet,   P.C, 
C.B.,  M.P.,  and  has  issue. 
II.  Anne    Gertrude    Grace,    died    9th    February,    1912, 
unmarried. 

William  Urquhart  Arbuthnot  of  Bridgen  Place,  Kent, 
fifth  son  of  Sir  WiUiam  Arbuthnot,  first  Baronet,  and  Anne 
Alves,  was  born  24th  March,  1807  ;  he  was  formerly  of  Madras, 
and  member  of  the  Indian  Council  in  England  ;  he  married 
(2nd  June,  1834)  Eliza  Jane,  only  daughter  of  General  Sir 
Henry  George  Andrew  Taylor,  G.C.B.,  Madras  Army,  and 
died  nth  December,  1874,  having  by  her  (who  died  i8th 
August,  1892)  had  issue — 

I.  William  Henry,  born  ist  July,  1835,  married  (loth 
March,  1875)  Mary,  daughter  of  Wright  Turner, 
of  Holly  bank,  Manchester,  and  died  s.p.  4th 
July,   1888  (she  died  13th  July,  1887). 


ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT    OF    WHITEHILL       319 

II.  Frederick    George,    born    15th   August,    1845,    died 

ist  September,  1910. 
III.  Reginald  James  Hugh,  born  2nd  June,   1853,  died 
19th  September,  1917. 
I.  Eliza  Taylor,  married  (27th  November,  1861)  William 
Spottiswoode,  LL.D.,  D.C.L.  etc.,  of  Coombe  Bank, 
Kent,  President   of   the   Royal   Society  (he  died 
27th  June,  1883,  and  was  buried  in  Westminster 
Abbey),  and  died  21st  August,  1894,  leaving  issue. 
II.  Mary  Charlotte,  married  (5th  August,  1868)  Arthur 
Brandreth,  late  Judge  of  the  Chief  Court  of  the 
Punjaub,  and  died  s.p.  2nd  June,  1897. 
III.  Helen. 
James  Edward  of  Bon  Air,   Mauritius,  sixth  son  of  Sir 
William    Arbuthnot,    first    Baronet,    and    Anne    Alves,    was 
born  in  Edinburgh,  12th  January,  1809,  married  (June  1837) 
Harriet  Frances,  daughter  of  General  William  Staveley,  C.B., 
and  died  29th  September,  1868,  having  had  issue — 

I.  William  Staveley,  born  14th  June,  1841,  died  1898. 
II.  Robert  Charles  Edward,  born  22nd  January,  1843, 
died  1889. 

III.  George  Ireland,  born  21st  December,  1847,  married 

(6th  May,  1876)  Nettie  May  Gumming,  daughter 
of  the  late  Donald  Munro  of  Belleville,  Inverness- 
shire,  and  died  24th  March,  1900,  leaving  issue — 
(i)  Ahster  Dare  Staveley,  Lieutenant  R.E.,  born 
nth   July,  1881,  served  in  Mesopotamia 
during  the  European  War,  wounded  1914, 
reported    missing    1916,    and    not     since 
heard  of. 
(i)  Frances  Ella  Gertrude. 

(2)  Winifred  Madeline  Louisa  Ogilvy,  married 
(17th  April,  1912)  Captain  Norman 
Doncaster  Noble,  R.E.,  younger  son  of 
Colonel  Charles  Simson  Noble,  of  the 
Indian  Army. 

IV.  Edward  Surtees,  born  29th  October,  1857,  died  1886. 
I.  Mary    Rose,    married    first    (1S56)    Chnton    Berens 

Dawkins,    and   secondly    (23rd    December,    1861) 
Charles  Edmund  Banks. 


820  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

II.  Anne,  married  (21st  May,  1862)  Edward,  fourth 
son  of  General  Sir  James  Dawes  Douglas, 
G.C.B.,  K.C.B.,  and  has  had  issue. 

III.  Harriet  Gertrude. 

IV.  Louisa  Fitzgerald  L'Estrange. 

V.  Emily  Frederica,  born  27th  January,  1855,  married 
(13th  February,  1879)  Walter  Fox  Wilhamson, 
eldest  son  of  William  W.  Wells,  of  the  Bengal 
Army,  and  has  issue. 
VI.  Charlotte  Elizabeth,  married  (12th  August,  1896) 
Commander  Frederick  George  Loring,  R.N.,  elder 
son  of  Admiral  Sir  WiUiam  Loring,  K.C.B.,  and 
has  issue. 
VII.  Frances  Henrietta. 

Sir  Robert  Keith  Arbuthnot,  second  Baronet,  eldest  son  of 
Sir  Wilham  Arbuthnot,  first  Baronet,  and  Anne  Alves,  was 
born  in  Queen  Street,  Edinburgh,  9th  September,  1801.  He 
entered  the  Bombay  Civil  Service,  remaining  in  its  employ- 
ment from  1819,  when  he  obtained  a  writership,  till  1838, 
in  which  year  his  post  was  that  of  Collector  and  Magistrate  of 
Ahmedabad.'  Sir  Robert  died  at  Florence,  4th  March,  1873. 
and  was  buried  in  the  Protestant  Cemetery  there.  He  had 
married  (20th  March,  1828)  Anne,  younger  daughter  of  Field- 
Marshal  Sir  John  Forster  Fitzgerald,  G.C.B.,  and  by  her  (who 
died  6th  March,  1882,  and  was  buried  at  Florence)  had  issue — 
I.  WiUiam  Wedderburn  (Major  Sir),  third  Baronet,  born 

22nd  August,  1831,  of  whom  presently. 
II.  Forster  Fitzgerald,  late  Bombay  Civil  Service,  born 
2ist  May,  1833.  Mr.  Arbuthnot  was  a  distinguished 
orientahst,  well  versed  in  the  ancient  literatures 
of  Persia  and  India.  It  is  due  to  his  laborious 
work  that  several  of  the  masterpieces  of  Arabic, 
Persian  and  Indian  writers  are  now  accessible 
to  Enghsh  readers.  Among  his  publications  are 
Arabic  Authors,  a  Manual  of  Arabian  History 
and  Literature;  Persian  Portraits,  A  Sketch  of 
Persian  History,  Literature  and  Politics;  Early 
Ideas,  A  Group  of  Hindoo  Stories,  collected  by  an 
Aryan,    besides    which    he    edited    in    1898    The 

•  Dodwell  and  Miles'  List  of  Bombay  Civil  Servants. 


ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT    OF    WHITEHILL       321 

Assemblies  of  Al  Hariri,  by  Kasini  Ibn  All,  called 

Al-Hariri  (published    by  the  Oriental  Translation 

'Fund),    and    The   Rauzat-us-sufa,    by   Muhammed 

ibn   Khavendshah   bin   Mahmiid,    commonly   called 

Mirkhoud.      In    politics    Mr.    Forster    Fitzgerald 

Arbuthnot  was  a  Liberal,  and  was  President  of 

the    Wonersh    District    Liberal    Association.     In 

an  address  on  "  Free  Trade  in  Land,"  delivered 

by  him  to  that  Association  in  1885,  and  afterwards 

published,    he    advocated   doing   away   with    the 

laws  of  entail  and  settlement  of  estates,  for  the 

purpose    of    facilitating    the    sale    of    land.     He 

married    (17th    July,    1S79)    Eleanor,    widow    of 

James  Alexander  Guthrie  of  Craigie,  Forfarshire, 

and  daughter  of  the  late  Admiral  Sir  James  Stirling, 

Governor   of    Western   Austraha.     He    died   s.p. 

25th  May,  1901. 

III.  Robert    Keith    (Rev.),    M.A.,  Vicar  of   St.    James,' 

Ratcliffe,  London,  born  loth  August,  1838,  married 

(17th  June,   1S68)   Mary  Agnes,   eldest  daughter 

of  the  Rev.   Canon  Edward  T.   Vaughan,   M.A., 

Canon  of  St.  Albans.     He  died  5th  December,  1894, 

leaving  issue  by  her  (who  died  14th  March,  igo8) — 

(i)  Robert     Edward     Vaughan,    I.C.S.,     born 

15th  January,  1871,  married  (19th  April, 

1899)   Ethel  Mary,  daughter  of   the   late 

Major  Charles  Wyndham,  late  9th  Bengal 

Light  Cavalry,   and    has    issue :     Elnyth 

Mary,  born  ist  February,  1900. 

(2)  Henry    Fitzgerald,    of    the    Indian    Forest 

Service,   Madras,   born   i6th   July,    1873, 

married      (31st     December,     1900)     Ivy, 

daughter   of    the   late   John  W.  Minchin 

of  Clovelly,  Ootacamund,  and   died   26th 

May,  191 7,  having  had  issue  :    (i)  Hugh 

Fitzgerald,    born     13th    October,    1903  ; 

(i)  Julia  Mary  Agnes,  born  i6th  December, 

1901,  died  i6th  May,  1909  ;    (2)  Madehne 

Ivy,  born  26th  April,  1908  ;  (3)  Katherine 

Rose,  born  18th  September,  1913. 

21 


322  IMEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

(3)  Hugh  Keith,   R.N.,  born   20th   July,    1874, 

died  unmarried  16th  February,  1903. 
(i)  Geraldine  Mary,  born  ist  May,  1869,  married 
(3rd    September,     1896)    Henry    Edward 
Hamill-Stewart,  and   has   issue. 
(2)  Constance  Margaret,  born  3rd  March,  1879, 
married  {1913)  Captain  Robert  Keyworth, 
52nd    Oxfordshire    Light    Infantry,    and 
has  issue. 
IV.  John    Alves    Henry,    Bombay    Cavalry,    born    25th 
July,  1842,  died  unmarried  at  Brieg,  Switzerland, 
29th  June,   1878.     Buried  at  Florence. 
V.  Fitzgerald     Hay,     born    25th    August,    1849,    died 

ist   November,   1894. 
I.  Charlotte    d'Ende,   married    (21st   April,    1863)    the 
Rev.  Charles  Hall  Raikes,  Vicar  of  Chittoe,  Chippen- 
ham, and  had  issue  (she  died   i8th  May,   1904). 
II.  Henrietta  Anne,  died  unmarried  26th  June,  1897. 

Major  Sir  William  Wedderburn  Arbuthnot,  third  Baronet, 
eldest  son  of  Sir .  Robert  Keith  Arbuthnot,  second  Baronet 
and  Anne  Fitzgerald,  was  born  22nd  August,  1831.  He  entered 
the  Army  and  was  Major  in  the  i8th  Hussars.  He  married 
(nth  June,  1863)  Alice  Margaret,  fourth  daughter  of  the  Rev. 
Matthew  Carrier  Thompson,  Rural  Dean  and  Vicar  of  Alder- 
minster,  Worcester.  Sir  WilHam  died  5th  June,  1889,  and 
was  buried  in  Brompton  Cemetery,  having  by  his  wife  (who 
died  5th  May,  1889)  had  issue — 

I.  Robert  Keith  (Rear- Admiral  Sir),  fourth  Baronet, 
born  23rd  March,  1864,  to  whom  we  shall  return. 

II.  Dalrymple  (Brigadier-General  vSir),  fifth  and  present 
Baronet,  of  whom  presently. 

III.  Reginald  Ramsay  (Captain),  Royal  Irish  Regiment, 
born  25th  April,  1869,  died  of  wounds  received 
in  action  in  South  Africa,  3rd  September,  1900, 
unmarried. 

IV.  WilUam  Fitzgerald,  3rd  Battalion  Seaforth  High- 
landers, born  29th  October,  1875  ;  an  Esquire 
of  the  Order  of  St.  John  of  Jerusalem  in  England  ; 
was  received  into  the  Roman  Catholic  Church 
in    1893 ;     served    in    Egypt    during    the    South 


ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT    OF    WHITEIIILL       323 

African  War,  and  in  Cyprus  during  the  European 
War  ;  received  the  South  African  (Mediterranean) 
Medal,  1914  Ribbon,  AlUed  Ribbon  and  Victory 
Medal. 
I.  Aline  Henriette,  born  i6th  March,  1866,  died  13th 
February,  1913. 

Rear-Admiral  Sir  Robert  Keith  Arbuthnot,  fourth  Baronet, 
K.C.B.,  M.V.O.,  eldest  son  of  Sir  William  Wedderburn  Arbuth- 
not, was  born  23rd  March,  1864.  He  entered  the  Navy  in 
1877,  became  Commander  in  1897,  and  Captain  in  1902 ; 
was  A.D.C.  to  the  King  from  1911  to  1912,  in  which  latter 
year  he  was  promoted  Rear-Admiral.  The  following  few 
details  of  Sir  Robert's  career  have  been  collected,  as  being  of 
interest  to  all  members  of  the  family  : 

In  190 1  Sir  Robert  met  with  a  serious  accident,  through 
the  explosion  of  a  12-inch  gun  on  board  the  Royal  Sovereign 
off  Platea,  on  the  9th  of  November,  1901.  The  men  were 
preparing  to  fire  a  salute  in  honour  of  the  King's  birthday, 
when  something  went  wrong  and  a  terrible  explosion  occurred, 
six  men  being  killed  on  the  spot  and  eight  others  seriously 
wounded.  Sir  Robert  was  very  seriously  hurt,  his  legs  being 
terribly  burnt,  but  as  soon  as  he  was  able  to  speak  he  ordered 
that  all  the  others  should  be  attended  to  before  himself.  His 
own  condition  was  for  a  time  regarded  as  hopeless,  but  he 
gradually  recovered,  after  being  laid  aside  for  many  months. 
He  was  devoted  to  all  athletic  sports,  and  had  been  well  known 
as  a  Rugby  three-quarter-back,  had  captained  the  United 
Service  team,  and  played  for  Hampshire. 

Sir  Robert  was  an  enthusiastic  member  of  the  Motor  Cychng 
Club,  and  a  familiar  sight  in  his  stateroom  was  his  "  Triumph  " 
motor-cycle,  besides  one  or  two  other  machines.  He  rode  in 
the  London-to-Edinburgh  Motor-C3'cle  Competition  a  short 
time  before  war  broke  out,  all  going  well  with  him  till  he 
reached  the  Cheviots,  where  he  fell  from  his  saddle  through 
sheer  exhaustion.  He  instantly  remounted  and  rode  on, 
only  to  fall  again,  proceeding  by  short  advances,  checked  by 
heavy  falls.  Sir  Robert  was  out  of  health  at  the  time,  but  no 
consideration  for  himself  would  have  induced  him  to  give  in. 
At  last  he  was  overtaken  by  another  competitor,  who,  realizing 


324  MEMORIES    OF   THE   ARBUTHNOTS 

the  state  of  affairs,  insisted  on  carrying  him  on  to  Edinburgh. 
Sir  Robert  at  first  flatly  refused,  but  finding  that  his  friend 
was  determined  not  to  leave  him  and  would  in  consequence 
lose  his  own  place  in  the  competition,  he  gave  in  and  consented 
to  be  taken  on  by  him. 

In  January,  igio,  at  the  annual  dinner  of  the  Auto-Cycle 
Union,  Sir  Robert  made  what  was  at  the  time  considered  a 
very  incautious  speech,  in  which  he  spoke  boldly  of  the  German 
menace,  and  insisted  that  urgent  measures  of  preparation  were 
essential.  A  General  Election  was  at  the  time  in  progress, 
and,  after  saying  that  ever  since  the  German  Emperor  came 
to  the  throne  he  had  been  preparing  measures  for  an  invasion 
of  this  country.  Sir  Robert  urged  that  "  to  prevent  that,  the 
first  thing  was  to  keep  the  Liberals  out  of  power."  After 
declaring  that  it  was  the  dearest  wish  of  "  our  Teutonic  friends  " 
that  the  Radicals  should  return  to  office,  he  declared  that  it 
followed  that  such  a  return  must  be  the  very  worst  thing  that 
could  happen  to  England,  and  that  "  the  safety  of  the  country 
lay  with  the  Unionist  party."  Sir  Robert  was  not  aware 
that  reporters  were  present  and  therefore  spoke  Math  consider- 
able unreserve,  but  the  following  morning,  contrary  to  his 
expectation,  a  full  report  of  the  speech  appeared  in  the  papers. 
It  is  understood  that  the  German  Government  made  a  formal 
protest,  and,  as  a  sequel  to  this,  Sir  Robert  was  deprived  of 
his  ship  and  placed  on  half-pa}^  Official  displeasure,  however, 
did  not  interfere  with  his  career  for  long,  and  shortly  afterwards 
he  was  promoted  to  Commodore  and  given  the  command  of 
the  Destroyer  Flotilla  at  Harwich,  an  appointment  entirely 
after  his  own  heart. 

In  1914  Sir  Robert,  then  in  his  fiftieth  year,  ran  a  100 
yards  race  with  Captain  Eric  Back  at  Portsmouth,  in  fulfil- 
ment of  a  challenge  made  twenty  years  before,  when  the 
two  friends  were  lieutenants  on  board  the  Warspite.  Both 
men  went  into  training  for  the  race,  in  which  the  whole  service 
took  an  extraordinary  interest,  and  when  the  day  arrived 
an  immense  crowd  assembled  to  witness  the  contest.  Captain 
Back  just  won.  Sir  Robert  breaking  down  in  the  last  few  yards. 

In  1914  the  Great  War  broke  out,  and  on  31st  May,  1916, 
Rear-Admiral  Sir  Robert  Arbuthnot  was  in  command  of  the 
First  Cruiser  Squadron,  with  his  flag  on  board  the  Defence. 


Rear-Admiral  Sir  Robert    Keilh   Arbuthnol,   K.C.B.,    M.V.O., 
of  Jutland.  31sl    May,    1916. 


aronel,  killed  at  the  Battle 


ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT    OF    WHITEHILL       325 

As  is  well  known,  Sir  David  Beatty  with  his  Battle-Cruiser 
Squadron  was  scouting  in  the  North  Sea  that  afternoon,  when 
the  news  was  flashed  to  him  that  a  German  Squadron  had  been 
sighted  off  the  Danish  coast.  Coming  up  with  them  about 
3.30  p.m.,  Admiral  Beatty  formed  Une  of  battle,  and  at  3.48  p.m. 
both  forces  opened  fire  simultaneously.  The  Indefatigable  and 
Queen  Mary  were  lost  early  in  the  action,  Beatty  and  his 
squadron  following  the  enemy  steadily  southwards  until 
at  4.45  p.m.  the  entire  fleet  of  German  Dreadnoughts  came  in 
sight.  Beatty 's  object  of  drawing  out  the  German  High 
Seas  Fleet  being  now  attained,  he  steered  northwards,  towards 
the  point  where  the  Grand  Fleet  under  Sir  John  Jellicoe  was 
expected  to  appear.  At  5.45  p.m.,  the  first  reinforcements 
were  sighted.  Beatty  now  made  a  daring  move,  steering 
suddenly  due  East  across  the  leading  German  cruisers,  and 
forcing  them  to  turn  also,  or  be  enfiladed.  Admiral  Hood 
brought  his  ships  into  action  at  this  point,  and  immediately 
afterwards  the  Invincible  was  lost.  Some  writers  have  sup- 
posed that  it  was  only  at  this  juncture  that  the  Germans 
reahzed  that  they  were  face  to  face  with  the  Grand  Fleet. 
Whether  it  was  a  surprise  or  not,  they  at  once  took  steps  to 
hamper  the  British  advance,  sending  forward  destroyers  and 
light  cruisers  to  discharge  torpedoes.  And  it  was  now  that 
Sir  Robert  Arbuthnot,  moving  forward  in  the  van  of  Jellicoe's 
fleet,  flung  his  ships  into  the  action,  and  it  was  here  that  his 
gallant  career  ended,  in  the  way  he  would  have  wished  it  to 
end.  With  the  Defence,  Warrior,  and  Black  Prince  he  made  a 
heroic  dash  forward  to  engage  the  advancing  light  craft  and 
facilitate  the  deployment  of  the  Grand  Fleet,  but  this  move- 
ment, of  which  Sir  Robert  must  have  fully  counted  the  cost, 
brought  him  within  the  range  of  the  German  Di-eadnoughts. 
The  mist  rising  at  that  moment,  revealed  the  fact  that  Sir 
Robert's  three  ships  were  at  the  mercy  of  their  powerful 
foe.  In  one  of  the  best  accounts  of  the  battle  yet  published,"  we 
find  the  following  comments  on  this  tragic  incident  in  the 
great  struggle  : 

"It  is  possible  that,  as  Admiral  JeUicoe  suggests  in  his 
despatch,  the  three  ships  were  lamed  before  they  could  with- 

'  See  The  Great  War,  Part  ii6,  p.  439. 


326  MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

draw.  But  it  is  also  possible  that  Sir  Robert  Arbuthnot  did 
not  intend  to  retire.  In  his  flagship  he  engaged  the  nearest 
German  battle-cruiser  for  eight  minutes.  The  Defence  was 
repeatedly  struck  aft,  and  a  terrific  explosion  occurred  in  the 
stern,  but  she  still  held  on  towards  the  enemj^  firing  with  her 
remaining  guns.  Then  she  was  hit  forward,  and  in  the  smoke, 
steam  and  flame  of  a  great  explosion,  one  of  the  very  finest  of 
British  fighting  admirals  vanished,  with  the  Defence's 
captain,  officers  and  men.  .  .  ." 

Before  the  end  came  the  fore  part  of  the  ship  was  seen  to 
be  red  hot,  but  she  still  continued  to  deliver  her  fire.  "  We 
saw  the  gallant  old  Defence  go  under,"  wrote  an  eye-witness 
to  The  Times  of  the  13th  June,  "  and  I  shall  never  forget  the 
heroism  of  her  crew.  A  German  salvo  crippled  her  aft,  and 
being  so  heavily  hit  she  ought  to  have  hauled  out  of  the  firing 
line,  but  with  splendid  courage  she  went  on  firing  her  for'ard 
guns  until  another  salvo  hit  her,  and  she  was  blown  right  out 
of  the  water,  only  about  100  yards  away  from  us.  The 
explosion  was  deafening,  and  when  it  had  ceased  the  brave 
old  Defence  had  completely  disappeared." 

When  the  clouds  of  smoke  had  cleared  away,  not  a  trace 
of  the  Defence  was  to  be  seen.  The  entire  ship,  with  its 
complement  of  850  officers  and  men,  had  disappeared. 

To  return  again  to  the  article  in  The  Great  War,  we  read 
as  follows  : ' 

"  It  cannot  be  said  that  the  fourteen  hundred  men  in  the 
Defence  and  Black  Prince  and  the  men  killed  in  the  Warrior  went 
to  their  deaths  in  vain.  The  mist  no  doubt  led  Sir  Robert 
Arbuthnot  into  a  terrible  ambush,  but  a  gallant  tactical  idea 
can  be  traced  in  the  sacrifice  he  made.  He  succeeded  in  taking 
the  fire  off  the  ist  and  2nd  Battle-Cruiser  Squadron  and  5th 
Battle  Squadron  during  a  most  critical  period,  when  the 
Grand  Fleet  was  deploying  and  when  the  full  fire  of  the  enemy 
fleet  was  concentrated  upon  Admiral  Beatty's  ships. 

"  Sir  Robert  Arbuthnot  was  a  fine,  gentle,  simple  man,  with 

the  heroic  temper  of  a  Grenville  and  the  devotion  to  duty  of 

a  Collingwood.     The  last  time  Collingwood  went  afloat  he  said 

to  a  friend  :   '  My  family  are  actually  strangers  to  me.     What 

I  Pp.  439-40. 


ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT    OF    WHITEHILL       327 

a  life  of  privation  ours  is— what  an  abandonment  of  every- 
thing to  our  professional  duty !  And  how  little  do  the  people 
of  England  know  tlie  sacrifices  we  make  for  them.'  So  Sir 
Robert  Arbuthnot  never  slept  ashore  after  the  war  broke  out. 
"  When  he  went  into  the  Defence,  men  reckoned  that  he 
went  to  death.  His  armoured  cruiser  was  not  fit  to  stand  up 
to  modern  ships,  yet  she  could  not  be  held  back  in  battle  by 
an  Admiral  who  intended  to  do  the  utmost  he  could  for  the 
Empire  when  the  great  chance  offered.  There  was  a  period 
of  twenty  minutes'  danger  when  Admiral  Beatty's  Cruiser 
Fleet  shortened  the  range  and  five  or  six  German  battleships, 
close  astern  of  the  German  battle-cruisers,  were  attempting 
to  deliver  a  final  concentrated  fire  on  the  British  battle-cruisers 
just  before  the  battle  squadrons  of  the  Grand  Fleet  came  into 
action.  Then  it  was  that  Sir  Robert  Arbuthnot  interposed 
his  little  weak  squadron  between  the  enemy  fleet  and  the 
Battle-Cruiser  Fleet  and  crushed  the  German  torpedo  onslaught. 
Admiral  Arbuthnot's  heroic  and  well-conceived  movement 
of  sacrifice  was  one  of  the  finest  deeds  of  an  historic  day." 

Among  the  many  touching  and  beautiful  letters  received 
by  Lady  Arbuthnot  after  the  sad  event,  was  one  from  the 
mother  of  one  of  the  midshipmen  on  board  the  Defence,  in 
which  she  spoke  of  the  boy's  devotion  to  Sir  Robert,  and  his 
pride  in  having  been  recently  promoted  to  be  "  Admiral's 
doggie,"  and  said  it  was  a  consolation  to  her  to  know  that 
he  would  have  been  near  the  Admiral  at  the  last,  because  she 
knew  that  Sir  Robert  would  have  done  all  that  could  be  done 
for  the  boy  at  such  a  moment.  Many  other  letters  from  men 
in  the  service  bore  witness  to  the  high  opinion  entertained  of 
him  in  the  Navy,  and  of  the  disappointment  felt  that  such 
a  fine  career  should  have  been  cut  short  in  his  first  action. 

Sir  Robert  was  the  author  of  A  Commander's  Order  Book 
for  a  Mediterranean  Battleship,  published  in  igoo,  and  Details 
and  Station  Bill  for  a  Battleship,  published  the  following  year, 
both  standard  works  in  the  Nav3^ 

Sir  Robert  married  (nth  December,  1897)  Lina,  daughter 
of  Colonel  A.  C.  Macleay,  C.B.,  3rd  Seaforth  Highlanders, 
and  had  issue  one  daughter — 

Rosalind  Desiree,  born  28th  February,  igo6. 


328  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

Brigadier-General  Sir  Dalrymple  Arbuthnot,  fifth  Baronet, 
C.M.G.,  D.S.O.,  R.F.A.,  second  son  of  Sir  William  Wedderburn 
Arbuthnot,  was  born  ist  April,  1867.  He  entered  the  Army 
in  1886,  was  Captain  in  1896,  Major  in  1901,  and  Lieut. -Colonel 
in  1913  ;  he  was  Staff-Officer  in  South  Africa  in  1900,  and 
Assistant  Staff-Officer  for  Colonial  Forces  in  1902 ;  served 
in  the  Chitral  campaign,  1895  (Medal  with  clasp)  ;  in  South 
Africa,  1899-1902  (Queen's  Medal  with  three  clasps.  King's 
Medal  with  two  clasps)  ;  served  in  the  European  War, 
1914-18  (Despatches,  Brevet-Colonel,  C.M.G.,  D.S.O.).  He 
succeeded  to  the  Baronetcy  on  his  brother's  death  in  1916,  and 
married,  at  St.  Paul's,  Knightsbridge,  15th  January,  1918, 
his  cousin,  Alice  Maud,  only  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hugh 
Lyttelton  Arbuthnot   (p.  312),  and  has  issue — 

Robert  Dalrymple,  born  4th  July,  1919. 


PART    FI 

LINE     DESCENDING    FROM 
GEORGE   ARBUTHNOT  OF   ELDERSLIE 

FIFTH    SON    OF    ROBERT    ARBUTHNOT, 
SECOND    OF    HADDO-RATTRAY 


LINE  DESCENDING  FROM  GEORGE  ARBUTHNOT 
OF  ELDERSLIE,  FIFTH  SON  OF  ROBERT 
ARBUTHNOT,     SECOND     OF    HADDO-RATTRAY 

GEORGE  ARBUTHNOT,  afterwards  of  Elderslie,  Surrey, 
fifth  son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot,  second  of  Haddo- 
Rattray,  and  Mary  Urquhart,  was  born  in  Edinburgh, 
4th  December,  1772.  This  was  the  year  in  which  his  father's 
fortunes  were  at  the  lowest  possible  ebb,  through  the  failure 
of  his  firm,  Arbuthnot  and  Guthrie.  There  was  an  epidemic 
of  bank  failures  in  Edinburgh  in  that  unfortunate  year,  the 
day  of  the  cataclysm  being  known  as  "  Black  Monday," 
8th  June,  1772.  Messrs.  Coutts  and  Co.,  then  an  Edinburgh 
firm,  were  rudely  shaken,  and  a  run  on  their  bank  was  only 
averted  by  the  providential  arrival  from  London  of  ;^3,ooo 
in  specie,  which,  being  magnilied  by  rumour  into  two  millions 
sterling,  caused  the  panic-stricken  public  to  fly  with  their 
money  to  Coutts  and  Co.,  who  found  themselves  amid  the 
general  ruin  almost  overwhelmed  with  cash  deposits.  The 
Arbuthnot  family,  with  hundreds  of  others,  were  completely 
ruined.  Many  years  later,  George  Arbuthnot  of  Elderslie 
wrote  of  this  period  as  follows  in  his  diary  :  "  December  4th, 
1830.  Fifty-eight  years  ago  I  came  into  the  world.  From 
the  misfortunes  which  had  attended  my  father  in  business 
in  the  previous  part  of  that  year,  1772,  my  prospects  were  poor 
enough,  and  I  have  heard  my  dear  and  excellent  Mother  say 
that  so  limited  were  the  Means  of  the  family  at  that  period, 
and  so  uncheering  the  view  before  her,  that  she  would  have 
considered  herself  happy  and  fortunate  if  she  could  have  been 
assured  of  an  Income  of  £200  a  year."  The  many  friends 
of  Robert  Arbuthnot  and  Mary  Urquhart  stood  by  them  loyally 
in  their  distress.  We  have  seen  that  a  principal  one  was  Sir 
Robert  Murray  Keith.  Others  were  the  partners  in  Messrs. 
Coutts  and  Co.  and  their  relations  the  Trotters,  who,  far  from 


332  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

taking  a  selfish  satisfaction  in  the  ruin  that  had  served  to 
advance  their  own  prospects,  acted  with  the  generosity  that 
has  always  characterized  their  house,  and  extended  friendly 
and  helpful  hands  to  their  less  fortunate  neighbours.  It  was 
almost  certainly  due  to  the  influence  of  the  Coutts  family 
that  the  young  Robert  Arbuthnot,  elder  brother  of  George 
Arbuthnot  of  Eldershe,  was  appointed  in  1801  to  be  Chief 
Secretary  to  the  Hon.  Frederick  North,  Governor  of  Ceylon.' 

In  April,  1801,  George  Arbuthnot,  also  destined  for  the 
Ceylon  Civil  Service,  left  England  with  his  brother  Robert, 
in  the  Henry  Dundas,  sailing  under  escort,  owing  to  the  fact 
that  this  country  was  then  at  war  with  France.  An  odd 
volume  of  diary  kept  by  George  Arbuthnot  during  this  voyage 
seems  to  have  been  given  by  him  to  his  youngest  son,  William 
Reierson,  from  whom  it  passed  to  the  latter's  eldest  surviving 
son,  my  husband.  Some  extracts  from  this  diary,  which 
contains  a  minute  account  of  various  details  of  the  voyage, 
will  be  found  in  Appendix  VI,  where  will  also  be  found 
many  extracts  from  a  later  series  of  diaries,  the  originals 
of  which  are  now  at  Warthill,  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  William 
Arbuthnot  Leshe. 

The  Henry  Dundas  arrived  at  Colombo  in  September, 
1801,  at  a  period  when  the  island  had  reached  a  critical  point 
in  its  history,  and  troubles  were  beginning  to  gather  round 
the  administration  of  Mr.  North.  Friction  between  the  British 
on  the  coast  and  the  native  kingdom  of  Kandy  in  the  interior 
had  become  acute,  and  in  the  hope  of  restoring  order  Mr. 
North  had  countenanced  some  negotiations  with  the  Adigar, 
or  first  minister,  of  the  King  of  Kandy.  These  negotiations 
disclosed  the  blackest  treachery  in  the  Adigar — whose  avowed 
intention  was  to  murder  or  depose  the  young  King — and 
have  been  severely  commented  upon  by  Sir  Emerson  Tennent 
in  his  Ceylon,  as  derogating  from  the  dignity  Mr.  North 
should  have  maintained  in  all  his  dealings  with  the  native 
state.  Mr.  North,  however,  held  that  circumstances  justified 
him  in  the  course  he  pursued,  for  to  break  off  negotiations  with 

■  Mr.  North,  afterwards  fifth  Earl  of  Guilford,  had  been  Governor  of  Ceylon 
since  1798.  His  elder  brother,  George,  third  Earl  of  Guilford,  was  at  this  time 
the  husband  of  Susan,  daughter  of  Thomas  Coutts,  founder  of  the  celebrated 
London  firm  of  Coutts  and  Co. 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       333 

the  treacherous  Adigar  would  have  meant  the  instant  murder 
of  the  King.  Mr.  North,  therefore,  while  sternly  forbidding 
any  attempt  on  the  King's  hfe,  acquiesced  in  a  plan  for  his 
deposition.  The  Adigar  was  to  reign  in  his  stead,  and  it  was 
hoped  that  a  strong,  though  unprincipled  ruler  might  maintain 
order  in  the  interior,  put  an  end  to  the  constant  acts  of  provo- 
cation committed  by  the  Kandians,  and  establish  permanent 
friendly  relations  with  the  English  on  the  coast. 

Things  were  in  this  position  when,  in  September,  1801, 
Robert  and  George  Arbuthnot,  with  other  prospective  Civil 
Servants,  reached  Colombo.  The  two  brothers  were  received 
with  the  utmost  kindness  by  Mr.  North,  and  they  took  up 
their  abode  with  him  at  Government  House.  An  old  letter- 
book  at  Warthill  contains  copies  of  many  letters  written  by 
George  Arbuthnot  about  this  time.  Several  are  addressed, 
to  "Thomas  Coutts,  Esq.,  London,"  others  to  "  Coutts 
Trotter,  Esq.,"  and  others  to  the  latter 's  brother,  "  John 
Trotter,  Esq."  These  lifelong  friends  of  his  family  were  all 
partners  in  the  firm  of  Coutts  and  Co.,  then  carrying  on 
business  in  London  and  Edinburgh. 

Before  George  Arbuthnot's  departure  from  England,  John 
Trotter  had  told  him  that  if,  on  arrival  in  the  East,  he  should 
see  any  advantageous  way  of  laying  out  money  and  should 
find  himself  short  of  ready  cash  for  the  purpose,  he  was  welcome 
to  draw  upon  him  for  a  substantial  amount.  No  specific 
sum  was  mentioned,  and  George  Arbuthnot,  seeing  a  profitable 
investment  in  connection  with  the  importation  of  gold  coin 
from  the  coast  of  Coromandel,  seems  to  have  felt  some  difficulty 
in  deciding  how  far  he  ought  to  take  advantage  of  the  friendly 
offer. 

On  26th  September,  1801,  he  wrote  to  Coutts  Trotter 
as  follows  : 

"  .  .  .  .It  is  my  intention  to  profit  by  the  Governour's 
(your  brother  Jack's)  goodness  in  an  offer  he  made  me  just 
before  I  left  London,  of  advancing  me  a  Sum  of  money  in  case 
I  should  meet  with  opportunities  of  laying  it  out  to  advantage. 

"  Jack  did  not  mention  any  specific  Sum,  but  said  with  an 
Emphasis  :  '  You  may  draw  upon  me  to  a  Considerable  Amount.' 
I  have  thought  much  what  this  amount  should  be  ;    I  have 


334  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBIJTHNOTS 

on  the  one  hand  considered  the  extent  and  largeness  of  Jack's 
ideas,  and  on  the  other  the  dehcacy  I  ought  to  observe  towards 
him,  as  well  as  the  Complete  deficiency  of  Security  on  a  Loan 
to  me. 

"  Drawing  the  line  as  well  as  I  could  between  the  two 
Considerations,  I  have  come  to  the  resolution  of  availing 
m.yself  of  Jack's  kindness  to  the  extent  of  £2,000  :  for  which 
I  shall  contrive  to  draw  in  different  Bills,  probably  through 
the  House  of  your  Correspondent,  Mr.  Lautour,  and  I  shall 
transmit  home  to  the  Governour  my  Bond,  and  shall  make 
an  arrangement  with  my  Brother  to  get  the  Interest  paid  out 
of  Dividends  in  his  Stock  coming  half-yearly  into  your  Hands. 

"  I  assure  you  that  whatever  I  have  the  good  fortune  to 
make,  over  my  absolutely  necessary  expenses,  shall  be  laid 
by  with  Care,  and  I  shall  look  upon  every  Pagoda  saved  as 
a  Step  towards  Home,  where  I  still  hope  to  return  before  either 
you  or  I  are  too  old  to  enjoy  each  other's  Company." 

On  the  3rd  October  following,  he  writes  as  follows  to 
John  Trotter  : 

"  .  .  .  .1  shall  only  say  that  every  day  I  pass  here  confirms 
me  in  the  favourable  opinion  I  formed  on  my  arrival  of  the 
Beauty  of  the  Country  and  the  pleasantness  of  the  Climate. 

"  In  the  morning  and  evening  there  is  a  freshness  in  the 
air  that  is  quite  delightful,  and  altho'  the  heat  during  the  day 
is  greater  than  we  generally  have  it  in  England,  yet  there 
are  here  so  many  precautions  taken  against  it,  that  upon  the 
whole  I  do  not  think  one  ever  feels  so  much  oppressed  as  you 
do  in  a  hot  July  day  in  our  own  Country. 

"  The  houses  in  Ceylon  are  the  strangest-looking,  unfinished 
and  unfurnished  places  that  can  be  imagined,  but  they  are 
excellently  well  contrived  for  coolness.  In  the  whole  City 
of  Colombo  there  is  but  one  house  of  2  stories  (which  is 
inhabited  by  General  Mcdowall,  a  brother  of  Garthland's). 
All  the  others  have  but  one,  and  very  few  of  them  have  any 
covering  to  the  apartments  except  the  tiles  upon  the  roof. 

"  A  house  is  a  long  stripe  of  building,  consisting  of  a  Suite  of 
Rooms  communicating  one  with  another,  and  each  Room  has 
also  a  door  of  communication  to  the  Verandah,  or  Long 
Gallery,  which  extends  the  whole  length  of  the  building  on 


m*^ 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       335 

both  sides,  and  which,  although  sheltered  from  the  rain, 
admits  the  wind  on  all  sides  and  gives  through  draughts  of 
air  to  all  the  apartments. 

"  These  verandahs  are  supported  by  clumsy  wooden  posts, 
but  had  they  been  built  by  Italians  instead  of  Dutch  architects, 
these  would  probably  be  Tuscan  or  Doric  columns. 

"  You  cannot  imagine  anything  equal  to  the  Ignorance, 
Pride,  Imbecilit}'  and  Brutality  of  the  late  Government  of  this 
Coimtry,  under  the  Hollanders.'  The  whole  system  of  their 
legislation  was  founded  on  the  maxim  'Oppose  the  natives,' 
and  to  be  sure  they  acted  up  to  that  Doctrine  in  its  fullest 
extent.  These  enlightened  Rulers  had  a  particular  dread  that 
the  natives  wished  to  enjoj'  some  of  the  Comforts  of  Life,  such 
as  Light,  Air  and  Shelter,  and  when  Mr.  North  first  arrived  he 
received  Petitions  from  various  quarters  to  grant  permission 
to  make  windows  in  the  Houses  and  to  roof  them  with  Tiles 
instead  of  Leaves. 

"  His  answer  was  that  he  granted  the  permission  required, 
and  hoped  soon  to  see  every  House  in  the  Island  with 
windows,  and  as  many  of  the  owners  as  could  bear  the 
Expence  sheltered  from  the  weather  with  Tiles,  or  in  any 
manner  the  Petitioners  might  find  to  their  Taste  and  Con- 
venience ;  with  which  concession  the  Dutch  Burghers  were 
extremely  scandalized. 

"  It  will  be  three  weeks  to-morrow  since  I  entered  upon 
my  office  of  Deputy  Secretary  to  the  Government  of  Ceylon, 
a  Situation  which  I  have  obtained  through  my  Brother's 
appHcation  and  Mr.  North's  kindness,  and  it  is  of  all  others 
that  which  I  like  the  best,  and  in  which  (if  I  do  not  flatter 
myself)  I  may  be  of  most  use.   .  .  . 

"  The  Salary  attached  to  my  office  is  £1,000  a-year,  of 
which  I  think  I  shall  be  able  to  save  one  half,  but  I  must 
endeavour  to  lay  up  something  more,  otherwise  you  will  be 
fourscore  before  I  can  expect  to  see  you  again. 

"  With  this  view,  I  have  been  looking  about  to  see  if  there 
be  not  any  trade  that  might  be  carried  on  to  advantage,  and 

'  Ceylon  liad  been  conquered  Irom  the  Dutch  in  1796.  It  was  at  first  placed 
under  the  East  India  Company  and  administered  from  Madras,  but  this  leading 
to  discontent  and  friction,  it  was  in  1798  transformed  into  a  Crown  colon)',  and 
in  that  year,  as  has  been  said,  Jlr.  Frederick  North  was  sent  out  as  first  British 
Governor  of  the  island. 


336  MEMOEIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

I  have  been  attracted  by  one  which  I  think  might  be  managed 
without  any  impropriety  in  my  Official  Situation." 

He  goes  on  to  describe  the  prospects  of  a  trade  in  gold 
coin  with  the  Coast  of  Coromandel.  Gold  was  exceedingly 
rare  in  Ceylon,  the  currency  being  almost  entirely  copper  and, 
for  large  sums,  paper.  If  gold  coins  were  obtained  in  Coro- 
mandel, they  could  be  disposed  of  in  Ceylon  at  a  considerable 
premium,  and  this  traffic  appeared  to  George  Arbuthnot  both 
simple  and  lucrative.  After  imparting  his  ideas  to  John 
Trotter,  he  adds  :  "  But  I  must  study  it  a  great  deal  more 
before  I  begin  to  act." 

Continuing,  he  writes  :  "It  will  be  necessary,  however, 
at  all  events  if  I  am  to  do  anything  in  this  kind  of  Business 
that  I  should  be  provided  with  a  Fund  to  carry  it  on,  and  I 
do  intend  to  avail  myself  of  3^our  Kindness,  my  dear  Governour, 
to  make  such  provision. 

"  I  know  you  too  well  to  think  you  should  ever  make  an 
offer  without  meaning  and  wishing  that  it  may  be  accepted, 
and  when  you  proposed  on  the  evening  of  the  17th  April, 
to  advance  me  a  Sum  towards  helping  me  in  any  Speculation 
I  might  enter  into,  I  resolved  to  profit  by  it,  if  an  opportunity 
tolerably  safe  and  favourable  should  present  itself. 

"  I  shall  not  mince  the  matter,  but  shall  draw  upon  you 
for  the  good  round  Sum  of  £2,000  stg.,  and  shall  transmit 
to  you  at  same  time  mj^  Bond  or  obligation,  making  the 
Interest  payable  out  of  my  Brother's  Income,  received  by 
Messrs.  T.  Coutts  and  Company. 

"  If  I  have  tolerable  luck,  I  shall  hope  in  the  course  of  a 
few  Years  to  return  you  this  Loan  ;  if,  on  the  contrar}^  I 
am  unfortunate,  you  may  lose  your  money. 

"  But  I  can  assure  you  of  one  thing,  which  is  that  until 
I  have  returned  it  to  you,  I  shall  never  think  of  turning  my 
face  towards  Europe,  and  the  wish  nearest  my  heart  is  to 
return  thither  at  such  an  age  as  once  more  to  enjoy  the  Society 
of  the  Gang  with  whom  you  and  I  have  passed  so  many  happy 
days.  ... 

"  The  Governour,  in  whose  house  my  Brother  and  I  have 
lived  ever  since  we  came  on  shore,  is  one  who  may  be  set 
up  as  an  example  to  all  the  Governours  on  the  face  of  the 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       337 

Earth  ;  in  Business,  he  is  clear,  active  and  indefatigable,  and 
really  works  harder  than  any  Man  in  his  Government.  In 
Society,  he  is  a  perfect  delight,  easy  and  playful  in  his  manners, 
good-natured  and  kind  to  the  greatest  degree,  and  possessing 
such  a  fancy  and  imagination  as  give  the  most  delightful 
effect  to  every  word  he  says.  ..." 

On  4th  October,  1801,  he  writes  to  Thomas  Coutts  : 

"  .  .  .  .  You  will  probably  have  heard  from  Mr.  Coutts 
Trotter  ■  of  my  having  been  appointed  by  Mr.  North  Deputy 
Secretary  to  this  Government,  which,  if  I  am  so  fortunate  as 
to  give  satisfaction  to  the  Governour  and  my  Brother,  I  hope 
may  lead  to  others  of  greater  emolument.  In  respect  to  trust 
and  occupation,  my  present  office  is  exactly  what  I  like." 

In  April,  1802,  an  unfortunate  occurrence,  destined  to 
lead  to  terrible  results,  took  place  in  Ceylon.  A  caravan 
of  Moors,  British  subjects,  was  attacked  when  returning 
peaceably  to  Putlam  from  Kandy,  and  their  merchandise 
forcibly  taken  from  them,  by  order  of  the  King  of  Kandy. 

Compensation  for  this  injury  was  instantly  demanded 
by  Mr.  North,  in  the  name  of  the  British  Government,  but 
was  not  obtainable,  and  after  some  time  had  been  spent  in 
useless  negotiation,  it  was  decided  to  despatch  an  armed  force 
to  the  interior  to  demand  satisfaction.  The  expedition, 
under  General  Macdowall,  did  not  start  until  the  following 
February  (1803),  when  it  had  no  difficulty  in  taking  possession 
of  Kandy,  the  King  flying  precipitately,  while  a  member  of  his 
family,  Moodha  Savvmy,  was  appointed  to  reign  in  his  stead, 
under  British  protection.  The  object  of  the  expedition  appeared 
to  have  been  swiftly  and  almost  bloodlessly  obtained,  while 
the  disaster  that  followed  a  little  later  was  far  from  being 
foreseen. 

In  the  meantime  Mr.  North  had  many  conflicting  anxieties 
to  disturb  him.  He  had  to  deal  with  complaints  from  the 
home    Government,    inefficiency   and    corruption    among   his 

■  Mr.  Coutts  Trotter,  afterwards  Sir  Coutts  Trotter,  Bart.,  of  Westville, 
Lincolnshire,  was  the  fourth  son  of  Archibald  Trotter  of  Bush  and  Castlelaw, 
Through  the  latter's  mother,  Jean,  daughter  of  Sir  Robert  Stuart  of  Allanbank. 
the  Trotters  were  nearly  related  to  the  family  of  Coutts.  Various  members  of  the 
family  of  Trotter  were  at  different  times  partners  in  Coutts  and  Co.,  which,  at 
some  time  in  the  eighteenth  century,  bore  the  style  of  "  Coutts  and  Trotter." 

22 


338  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

staff,  and  many  other  difficulties,  some  of  which  are  referred 
to  in  a  letter  addressed  by  George  Arbuthnot  to  Lord  Glenbervie 
on  17th  September,  1802. 

Speaking  of  a  letter  Mr.  North  had  recently  received  from 
Lord  Hobart,'  he  remarks  of  it  that  "  although  conveying  an 
assurance  of  the  King's  continued  approbation,  and  of  general 
Compliment  from  his  Lordship,  is  still  by  no  means  a  Sugar 
Plum !  "  Lord  Hobart,  it  seems,  had  insisted  on  drastic 
economies  in  the  administration  of  the  island,  of  which  George 
writes  that  "  Notwithstanding  that  to  his  Lordship's  observa- 
tions on  the  general  principle  are  joined  some  Retrenchments 
which  cannot  fail  to  be  painful  to  Mr.  North,  yet  I  must  say 
I  am  glad  that  Lord  H.  has  been  so  explicit  and  that  he  has 
put  his  Finger  on  particular  objects  rather  than  if  he  had 
made  a  general  complaint  of  our  Extravagance  and  not  told 
us  expressly  in  what  points  he  thought  us  so."  After  dealing 
at  length  with  various  complaints  in  Lord  Hobart's  letter, 
George  Arbuthnot  remarks  that  "  Boyd  says  that  the  Governour, 
altho'  as  anxious  to  save  the  public  Purse  as  any  Man  can  be, 
— and  God  knows,  infinitely  more  so  than  he  is  to  save  his  own 
— does  not  like  to  be  preached  Economy,  either  in  the  one 
or  the  other ;  nevertheless,  he  has  taken  Lord  Hobart's 
lecture  on  the  Subject  fully  as  well  as  could  be  expected,  and 
I  daresay  his  Lordship  will  have  no  cause  to  complain  of  his 
wishes  being  neglected." 

George  Arbuthnot  goes  on  to  describe  some  retrenchments 
Mr.  North  had  written  to  propose  to  Lord  Hobart  a  few  days 
before  receiving  the  latter's  letter.  A  saving  of  ;f  13,000  a 
year  was  proposed  in  the  Civil  Service  charges,  and,  after 
detailing  alterations  proposed  for  the  Revenue  Board  and 
the  Supreme  Court,  George  Arbuthnot  adds  :  "  The  Governour 
in  his  Letter  to  Lord  Hobart,  says  that  he  only  proposes 
these  Alterations  and  Reforms  on  the  Civil  Death  of  the 
present  Incumbents  ;  now  my  dear  Lord,  if  you  should  happen 
to  be  Secretary  of  State,=  or  have  the  same  influence  in  directing 

'  Lord  Hobart,  afterwards  fourth  Earl  of  Buckinghamshire,  was  Secretary 
of  State  for  War  and  for  the  Colonies  at  this  time. 

2  Lord  Glenbervie  had  been  a  Lord  of  the  Treasury  from  1797  to  1800.  At 
the  date  when  this  letter  was  written  he  was  Vice-President  of  the  Board  of  Trade. 
He  was  Mr.  North's  brother-in-law,  having  married  in  1789  Lady  Catherine  North, 
daughter  of  Frederick,  second  Earl  of  Guilford. 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE        339 

the  affairs  of  this  Island  as  you  had  when  I  became  a  member 
of  your  Family,  you  will  be  able  to  hasten  this  Civil  Death, 
and  by  so  doing  will  render  a  most  valuable  Service  to  the 
Scanty  Funds  and  limited  Resources  of  our  little  Government." 

About  this  time  Mr.  Coutts  Trotter  wrote  to  George 
Arbuthnot,  proposing  to  him  that  he  should  give  up  his  post 
in  Ceylon  and  enter  upon  a  business  career.  The  plan  was 
that  he  should  attach  himself  to  Messrs.  Lautour  and  Co., 
a  Madras  firm  of  bankers  who  acted  as  correspondents  of 
Messrs.  Coutts  and  Co.  This  was  sound  advice,  and  George 
Arbuthnot,  who  realized  the  urgent  necessity  of  making  money 
as  soon  as  possible,  in  order  to  assist  his  parents,  then  living 
in  Edinburgh  in  reduced  circumstances,  decided  to  fall  in 
with  his  friend's  suggestion.  He  left  Ceylon  in  October, 
1802,  with  regret,  for  the  Hfe  suited  him  and  he  felt  besides 
a  deep  personal  affection  towards  Mr.  North,  but  in  his  mind 
the  duty  of  providing  for  his  father  and  mother  was  paramount, 
as  is  apparent  in  many  passages  of  his  letters,  where  his 
anxious  soHcitude  for  them  is  repeatedly  expressed. 

His  next  letter,  addressed  to  John  Trotter,  Esq.,  Soho 
Square,  London,  is  dated  from  Fort  St.  George,  30th  January, 
1803  : 

"  My  dear  Governour, 

"  Before  this  reaches  you,  you  will  have  heard  of 
my  forsaking  Politicks  and  taking  to  Trade.  The  consequences 
of  which  will,  I  hope,  be  ist.  that  I  shall  pay  you  back  the 
sum  you  have  been  so  good  as  lend  me  much  sooner  than 
I  could  have  done  had  I  remained  in  an  official  Situation 
and  2ndly,  that  I  shall  return  home  to  the  enjoyment  of 
j'our  Society  in  a  shorter  period  than  I  could  have  done  from 
Ceylon.   .  .  . 

"  During  the  twelve  months  I  was  in  Ceylon,  I  have  saved 
about  £700,  which  was  pretty  well,  considering  that  my 
Allowance  was  only  one  Thousand.  The  whole  of  that 
saving,  however,  must  now  be  expended  in  setting  me  up 
in  Madras.  ...  I  shall  not  be  guilty  of  extravagance,  of  that 
be  assured,  and  if  Mr.  Lautour's  absence  '  shall  happily  not 
make  great  difference  in  the  proceedings  of  the  House,  I  hope 

•  Mr.  Francis  Lautour,  head  of  the  firm  of  Lautour  and  Co.  of  Madras,  appears 
to  have  been  absent  in  England  at  this  time. 


340  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

by  this  time  twelvemonth  to  give  you  a  satisfactory  Account 
of  my  Circumstances. 

"  I  am  disappointed,  my  dear  Jack,  at  receiving  no  Letters 
from  you  since  I  came  to  India.  It  cannot  be  possible,  I 
think,  that  I  am  become  indifferent  to  you  ;  at  least,  I  am  sure 
that  no  length  of  time  or  distance  of  place  will  ever  be  able 
to  lessen  the  Affection  I  feel  for  you.  When  I  was  in  Somer- 
set Place,  not  a  mile  from  you,  you  used  to  send  me  fre- 
quently two  or  three  Notes  in  one  day,  and  now  that  I  am 
removed  to  half  the  circuit  of  the  Globe,  two  years  have  nearly 
elapsed  without  your  having  once  sent  me  a  single  Line.  .  .  ." 

In  July,  1802,  Mr.  Coutts  Trotter  had  married  Margaret, 
daughter  of  Lord  Rockville  (a  Lord  of  Session),  fourth  son  of 
William,  second  Earl  of  Aberdeen.  George  Arbuthnot  writes 
to  him  as  follows  from  Madras,  9th  May,  1803  :  "...  I  am 
disappointed  at  not  having  heard  from  you  after  your  marriage  ; 
of  you,  I  have  heard  much,  for  I  never  receive  a  Dispatch  from 
the  Family  at  Edinburgh  that  there  are  not  many  Paragraphs 
about  you.  They  know  the  Subjects  which  give  me  most 
pleasure,  and  on  these  they  dwell, — consequently  your  marriage 
has  been  detailed  from  many  quarters  and  in  many  ways, 
but  they  all  unite  in  praising  your  wife. — They  tell  me  that 
she  resembles  Lady  Glenhervie,  for  that  altho'  beautiful  in 
a  high  degree,  you  cannot  be  long  in  her  Company  and  hear 
her  Conversation,  without  forgetting  her  personal  attractions, 
and  think  only  of  her  good  Manners,  good  Nature  and  good 
Principles. — You  know,  you  and  I  used  often  to  say  that  we 
could  not  be  half  an  hour  with  Lady  G.  without  forgetting 
altogether  the  appearance  of  her  Countenance.  .  .  . 

"  How  do  you  now  live,  and  with  whom  do  you  live  ?  do 
you  follow  fashion  or  do  you  lead  it  ?  .  .  .  How  is  Mr.  Coutts' 
health  now,  and  how  do  he  and  Mr.  Lautour  take  to  each 
other  ?  By  the  way,  I  hope  you  are  kind  and  attentive  to 
old  Francis,  if  it  were  only  as  a  return  for  the  kindness  he  has 
shewn  to  me.  .  .  .  Mr.  Lautour  will,  I  am  sure,  be  happy 
to  hear  that  his  Absence  has  not  been  attended  with  any 
uncomfortable  effect  to  the  House,  which  I  own  I  sometimes 
apprehended  might  be  the  case  ;  far  from  there  being  any 
run  upon  it,  more  money  has  been  offered  than  we  thought 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE        341 

it  expedient  to  receive,  and  if  at  present  we  have  any  embarrass- 
ment, it  is  the  difficult}^  of  placing  in  a  proper  manner  a  part 
of  the  immense  Sum  now  lodged  in  our  Coffers.  We  do  not 
hke  to  put  it  out  of  our  command  at  short  notice,  because 
there  is  every  Probability  of  Government  requiring  our  Aid 
in  the  course  of  three  or  four  months,  and  as  upon  such  Occa- 
sions this  House  has  been  the  first  to  stand  forward,  we  shall 
be  anxious,  now  that  our  Head  is  gone,  not  to  let  our  Character 
for  Loyalty  and  Resource  fall  off.  ..." 

On  22nd  May  he  writes  to  his  mother :  "...  I  am 
made  very  anxious  by  your  last  about  my  Father's  Health, 
which  you  mention  having  been  rather  precarious  for  some 
time  past  ;  I  would  fain  hope  he  may  have  got  well  through 
the  winter  and  that  another  jaunt  North  or  South  in  Summer 
will  set  him  up  again  and  give  him  a  renewed  lease.  I  shall 
wait  with  very  great  impatience  and  anxiety  for  your  next 
letters.  .  .  .  Your  letter  no.  13  is  addressed  to  the  care  of 
this  House,  but  you  have  mistaken  the  name  of  it,  as  you  call 
us  Le  Tour  and  Co.,  but  as  you  are  now  connected  with  the 
Firm,  you  must  write  it  correctly,  Laiitoiir  and  Co.  .  .  ." 
Referring  to  the  children  of  his  sister.  Lady  Hunter,  he  writes  : 
"  I  am  happy  to  hear  that  you  think  Robert  Hunter  is  some- 
thing like  me,  because  I  hope  he  will  also  resemble  his  Uncle 
in  a  certain  kind  of  Good  Spirits  and  lightness  of  mind  which 
have  carried  him  through  many  difficulties  and  kept  him  chear- 
ful  and  happy  under  many  and  severe  privations.  It  is  so 
long  since  I  lost  my  Sister  Mary  '  that  I  have  scarce  any 
remembrance  of  her  Countenance  (altho'  I  remember  the 
night  she  died  as  well  as  if  it  were  yesterday),  I  cannot  there- 
fore form  any  idea  of  my  little  niece  Jane  '  but  I  am  much 
pleased  with  your  account  of  her.  ..." 

George  Arbuthnot's  anxiety  about  his  father's  failing 
health  is  shown  in  the  following  letter,  dated  from  Fort  St. 
George,  19th  June,  1803,  and  addrc:-3ed  to  his  brother  Robert 
in  Colombo  : 

"...  You  see  what  my  Father  says  about  our  Letters 
doing  his  health  good  ;    for  God's  sake  let  us  keep  him  well 

'  She  died  in  Edinburgh,  8th  March,  1791,  aged  16. 

'  Jane  Hunter,  afterwards  Mrs.  David  Charles  Guthne,  grandmother  of  the 
late  Mr.  David  Charles  Guthrie  of  Craigie. 


342  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTPINOTS 

by  sending  him  abundance  of  such  physic.  But  there  is  another 
thing  which  has  often  come  into  my  head,  although  I  never 
till  now  thought  myself  in  a  situation  to  speak  of  it  ;  would 
not  a  Carriage  be  a  great  comfort  to  my  Father  and  Mother 
and  also  a  convenience  to  Jane  ?  They  will  never  agree  to 
keep  one  unless  we  force  them  to  it,  and,  if  you  see  no  objection, 
I  am  willing  to  bear  half  the  expence  of  the  purchase,  and  to 
remit  home  to  T.C.  and  Co."  £ioo  a  year  for  the  half  of  its 
maintenance.  .  .  . 

"  It  would  be  a  grand  surprise  (and,  to  my  Father,  I  think, 
a  very  agreeable  one)  to  have  a  neat,  plain  Carriage  drive  up 
to  the  door,  and  Peter  with  a  grave  Countenance  coming  to 
announce  it.  .  .  ." 

The  following  month,  July,  1803,  terrible  news  reached 
the  mainland  from  Ceylon.  The  outrage  committed  by 
the  Kandians  against  some  British  merchants  the  preceding 
year  has  already  been  referred  to.  The  disastrous  events 
that  followed  have  been  fully  narrated  by  Sir  J.  Emerson 
Tennent  in  his  Ceylon,  and  can  be  best  summarized  here 
by  quoting  a  report  drawn  up  some  months  later  by 
George  Arbuthnot  for  the  information  of  Lord  William 
Bentinck,  who  succeeded  Lord  Clive  as  Governor  of  Madras 
in  August,  1803.' 

After  relating  in  full  the  provocation  the  British  Govern- 
ment had  received,   the  report  continues  as  follows  : 

"  The  Governour  caused  a  Statement  of  the  Matter  to  be 
drawn  up  and  sent  to  the  King  of  Kandy,^  with  his  Request 
that  Reparation  might  be  done,  either  by  restoring  the  Goods 
or  paying  their  value  to  the  Complainants. 

"  The  facts  were  admitted  by  the  Court  and  a  promise 
given  of  immediate  Restoration,  and  the  People  invited  to 
come  to  Kandy,''  in  order  to  have  it  fulfilled. — But  those 
poor  People,  after  wasting  six  Months  in  that  Country  in 
fruitless  sohcitations,  were  deprived  of  the  Cattle  which  they 
had  brought  for  the  purpose  of  transporting  their  Merchandise, 

I  Thomas  Coutts  and  Co. 

>  A  full  copy  of  this  report  is  in  one  of  the  letter-books  at  Warthill. 

3  Note  in  margin  :   "  In  July,   1802." 

4  Margin  :   "  Sept.,   1802." 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE         343 

and  were  threatened  with  imprisonment  and  Death  unless 
they  would  immediately  depart. 

"  On  this,  the  British  Government  had  recourse  to  Arms.' 
Two  small  Armies  marched  at  the  same  time  from  Colombo 
and  Trincomalee,  and  met  at  the  city  of  Kandy,  which  was 
taken  without  the  loss  of  a  Man. 

"  We  had  soon,  however,  to  regret  the  loss  of  many  Lives 
from  the  Insalubrity  of  the  air, — a  circumstance  which  there 
was  the  less  reason  to  expect,  as,  three  years  before,  at  the 
same  season  of  the  year.  General  Macdowall  as  Embassador 
had  passed  five  or  six  weeks  at  Kandy,  attended  by  an 
Escort  of  300  Persons,  not  one  of  whom  experienced  any 
Indisposition. 

"  A  strong  Detachment  of  our  Troops  was  stationed  in 
Kandy,  under  the  Command  of  Colonel  Barbut,  and  had 
Provision  and  Ammunition  for  a  long  time  ;  but  the  Jungle 
Fever  began  to  make  dreadful  Havock  among  our  Officers 
and  Men,  and  Mr.  North  was  glad  to  take  advantage  of  a 
Truce  (asked  by  the  Kandians)'  to  enter  again  into  Negotiation 
with  the  Adigar,  and  had  even  made  arrangements  for  the 
Evacuation  of  the  Town,  but  Colonel  Barbut,  secure  in  his 
own  Resources  and  hopeful  of  the  approaching  change  of 
weather  re-establishing  the  Health  of  the  Troops,  persuaded 
the  Governour  and  General  of  the  advantage  of  retaining 
possession  of  the  Place. — In  the  meantime,  the  negotiations 
with  the  Adigar  ended  in  a  Treaty,  which  he  signed,  and  by 
which  it  was  agreed  that  a  Road  should  be  cut  through  the 
Kandian  country,  so  as  to  make  a  Communication  direct 
between  Colombo  and  Trincomalee. 

"  The  Adigar  promised  to  meet  General  Macdowall  at 
Kandy,  and  there  to  begin  to  fulfil  the  Treaty,  the  first  Article 
of  which  was  to  place  Prince  Mudha  Sawmy  on  the  abdicated 
throne,  but  this  treacherous  Miscreant  (the  Adigar)  did  not 
come  to  Kandy  until  a  Month  after  the  General  had  left  it,' 
and  he  then  came,  not  to  fulfil  the  Treaty,  but  to  attack  the 
English  Garrison,  which  had  suffered  an  irretrievable  loss  in 
the  Death  of  the  Commandant,  Lt. -Colonel  Barbut, — and  which 
was  now  greatly  reduced  by  Sickness  and  by  the  desertion  of 

»  Margin:  "  In  February,   1803."  »  Margin  :  "  In  May,   1803." 

5  Margin  :  "  About  the  20th  June,   1803." 


344  MEIMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

many  of  the  Malay  Soldiers,  the  want  of  opium  having  driven 
those  People  almost  to  desperation.' 

"  Major  Davie,  the  Successor  of  Colonel  Barbut  in  the 
Command,  not  knowing  the  faithless  character  of  the  Adigar, 
entered  into  Capitulation,-  with  him,  gave  up  the  unfortunate 
Prince  Mudha  Sawmy,'  and  took  the  fatal  step  of  reUnquishing 
his  Arms." 

What  had  happened  was  this  : 

On  finding  himself  treacherously  attacked  by  the  Kandians, 
Major  Davie,  an  inexperienced  officer,  thought  it  best  to  enter 
into  a  treaty  with  the  Adigar,  by  the  terms  of  which  he  and 
his  men  were  to  be  allowed  to  withdraw  to  Trincomalee  un- 
molested, while  the  many  sick  who  had  to  be  abandoned  were 
to  be  tended  and  cared  for  until  they  could  be  transported  to 
the  coast.  This  treaty  being  duly  signed.  Major  Davie  and 
his  troops  left  Kandy  on  the  evening  of  the  24th  June,  appar- 
ently without  misgiving,  and  proceeded  a  mile  and  a  half  on 
the  road  to  Trincomalee.  Here  a  river  very  much  swollen  with 
recent  rains  impeded  their  advance.  They  were  obliged  to 
halt  for  the  night,  and,  the  following  morning,  after  some 
time  had  been  spent  in  trying  to  improvise  rafts,  the  little 
force  found  itself  once  more  surrounded  by  hordes  of  armed 
Kandians.  A  haughty  message  was  now  delivered  to  Major 
Davie  on  behalf  of  the  King  of  Kandy,  commanding  him  to 
surrender  Moodha  Sawmy,  and  promising  that  if  he  did  so, 
boats  should  be  provided  to  convey  Ins  troops  across  the  river. 
Major  Davie  at  first  refused  with  indignation  to  listen  to  such 
a  dishonourable  proposal,  but  on  being  assured  that  the 
Prince  would  be  well  treated,  and  that  in  the  event  of  a  refusal 
his  force  would  be  attacked  by  the  Kandians  and  not  allowed 
to  cross  the  river,  he  decided  to  surrender  the  Prince.  Moodha 
Sawmy,  when  informed  of  his  decision,  and  with  no  illusions 
as   to   what   his   fate   would   be,   exclaimed   bitterly :     "  My 

1  The  attenuated  force  with  which  Major  Davie  marched  out  of  Kandy  on 
the  24th  of  June,  consisted  of  fourteen  European  officers,  twenty  British  soldiers, 
two  hundred  and  fifty  Malays  and  one  hundred  and  forty  gun  Lascars,  besides 
Prince  ]Moodha  Sawmy  and  his  attendants. — See  Philatheles'  History  of  Ceylon, 
1817,  pp.   162-3,  and  Henrj'  Marshall's  Ceylon,  pp.  97-8. 

2  Margin  :  "  The  24th  June,  1803." 

3  Margin  :  "  The  25th  June,  1803." 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       345 

God  !  is  it  possible  that  the  arms  of  England  can  be  so  humbled 
as  to  fear  the  menaces  of  such  cowards  as  the  Kandians  ?  " 
He  was  handed  over  to  his  enemies  and  instantly  murdered. 
Worse  was  to  follow.  No  boats  were  provided,  and  the 
following  day  the  British  force  found  itself  again  surrounded. 
Another  insulting  message  from  the  King  now  ordered  them 
to  lay  down  their  arms  and  return  at  once  to  Kandy.  Extra- 
ordinary to  relate,  the  British  officers  seem  to  have  hoped  that 
by  submitting  to  this  ignominy  they  would  save  the  hves  of 
themselves  and  their  troops.  The  men  gave  up  their  arms 
and  commenced  their  doleful  march  to  Kandy.  Half  way 
there  they  were  stopped  and  brutally  murdered,  almost  to 
a  man." 

Major  Davie's  life,  for  some  unknown  reason,  was  preserved, 
and  he  remained  for  several  years  a  close  prisoner  among  the 
Kandians.  A  few  pencil  notes  were  received  from  him  from 
time  to  time,  but  all  demands  for  his  surrender  were  unavailing. 
He  died  in  this  miserable  captivity,  without  ever  having  had 
an  opportunity  of  clearing  his  name  from  the  grave  imputations 
that  rest  upon  it. 

Lack  of  troops  prevented  Mr.  North  taking  the  effective 
steps  necessary  to  punish  the  Kandians  for  this  infamous  act. 
He  appUed  in  vain  to  the  Governor-General  of  India  for  assist- 
tance,  but  owing  to  war  breaking  out  again  between  England 
and  France,  it  was  impossible  to  send  to  Ceylon  the  reinforce- 
ments required.  George  Arbuthnot  did  his  best  to  move  the 
authorities  in  Madras  to  send  troops,  as  appears  from  a  letter 
of  his  to  Mr.  North,  dated  from  Fort  St.  George,  loth  July, 
1803: 

"  My  dear  Sir, 

"  I  wrote  yesterday  a  few  hurried  Lines  to  Robert, 
to  tell  him  of  the  arrival  here  of  the  dreadful  news  from  Kandy 
which  have  spread  a  gloom  upon  every  Countenance. 

"  I  called  this  morning  at  Lord  Clive's,'  and  had  a  long 
Conversation  with  H.  L.  on  the  present  state  of  your  affairs. 

'  One  man.  Corporal  Barnsley,  alone  escaped  the  carnage,  and  made  Iiis  way 
to  the  coast  with  the  terrible  news.  His  account  of  the  scene  and  ol  his  extra- 
ordinary escape  are  printed  in  Henry  :\Iarshairs  Ceylon. 

2  Lord  Clive,  son  of  the  great  founder  of  our  Indian  Empire,  was  Governor 
of  Madras  from  1798  to  1803.     He  was,  in  the  following  year,  created  Earl  of 


346  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

"  I  told  Lord  C.  that  from  the  Kandians  no  danger  was  to 
be  apprehended  for  Colombo  or  Trincomalee,  Jaffna  or  Galle, 
but  that  I  was  very  uneasy  for  Putlam,  Chilaw,  Negombo, 
Matura  and  Batticaloa. 

"  The  Kandians,  emboldened  by  their  late  attack,  and 
having  tasted  European  Blood,  and  more  especially  encouraged 
by  the  Booty  of  the  Malays  who  have  joined  them,  may  be 
likely  to  attack  and  plunder  those  defenceless  places,  and  that 
I  was  sure  H.  L.  would  do  an  essential  Service  to  the  General 
Interests  of  our  Country,  if  he  would  give  you  a  reinforcement 
of  4  or  5  Companies  of  Europeans  and  a  Battalion  of  Natives. 

"  Lord  Clive  said  he  was  well  convinced  that  let  matters 
be  as  they  might,  a  supply  of  Troops  seemed  necessary  for 
the  Island,  but  that  at  present  he  found  it  utterly  out  of  his 
power  to  detach  a  single  man  from  this  Coast,  as  the  present 
Establishment  is  greatly  inadequate  to  the  calls  that  may  be 
made  upon  it.  .  .  . 

"  Lord  Clive  said  that  if  the  Directors  had  given  him  the 
Military  Estab*  he  had  applied  for,  he  would  this  day 
have  been  able  to  send  you  1500  Men. 

"  As  matters  are,  then,  and  with  your  very  small  Force, 
I  am  beating  my  Brains  to  find  out  what  j^ou  will  do.  I 
much  fear  you  will  find  it  necessary  to  make  a  temporary 
Sacrifice  of  Revenue,  and  call  your  Collectors,  Provincial 
Judges,  &c.,  from  their  Stations  to  your  fortresses. — This 
would  be  a  sad  thing,  but  it  is  better  to  lose  Money  than  run 
the  risk  of  having  your  People  murdered.  .  .   ." 

A  week  later  George  Arbuthnot  wrote  to  his  brother 
Robert  : 

"...  Poor  Davie  must  certainly  have  been  panic  struck, 
but  are  you  not  astonished  that  some  of  his  officers  did  not 
remonstrate  with  him  on  the  baseness  of  giving  up  poor  Moodha 
Sawmy,  and  the  folly  of  afterwards  making  his  men  ground 
their  Arms  ? — I  almost  should  regret  that  Davie  should  have 
survived  the  Affair,  for  there  is  a  terrible  outcry  against  him 
from  all  quarters.  ..." 

It  appears  that  about  this  time  his  brother  Robert  remon- 
strated with  him  for  some  supposed  extravagance,  and  George 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       347 

Arbuthnot  replied  to  his  strictures   as  follows,   on  the  2ist 
July,  1803  : 

"...  I  observe  you  regret  that  I  have  become  a  Pro- 
prietor of  the  Assembly  Rooms  here,  but,  my  dear  Robert, 
were  you  to  know  all  the  foolish  and  idle  Expences  we  are 
obliged  to  commit  at  this  extravagant  place,  you  would  be 
confounded.  As  to  being  a  Subscriber  to  the  Rooms,  that  was 
almost  as  indispensible  as  my  being  one  of  the  Grand  Jury 
when  summoned  by  the  Sheriff  ; — taking  a  share  in  the  property 
was,  I  will  own,  not  so  absolutely  necessary,  but  still  it  is  a 
proper  thing  that  this  House  should  have  one  of  its  Members 
to  take  a  Share  in  the  trouble  and  Expence  of  supporting  the 
public  Hospitality  and  Entertainment  of  the  Settlement  ; 
it  happens  unluckily,  to  be  sure,  that  I,  the  only  poor  Partner 
in  the  Concern,  must  represent  the  others  in  those  situations 
where  there  is  either  representation  or  expence. — Both  M. 
Coulon  and  M.  Geslin  live  very  retiredly,  and  it  is  with  difficulty 
I  can  get  them  to  go  even  to  the  Governor's  when  they  are 
asked.  .  .  ." 

On  27th  July  he  wrote  to  Mr.  North  : 

"  My  dear  Sir, 

"...  I  am  truly  glad  that  amidst  all  the  horrors 
which  have  lately  happened,  and  all  the  pain  you  must  have 
felt,  your  Health  continues  good, — pray  my  dear  Sir,  take 
care  of  it,  and  do  not  let  a  Misfortune  which  was  unavoidable 
prey  upon  your  spirits.  ...  I  dined  en  famille  with  Clivus 
yesterday,  and  had  a  good  deal  of  talk  with  him  about  sending 
you  some  Troops.  He  said  it  was  with  much  regret  he  now 
found  that  he  could  not  with  safety  at  present  detach  any 
more  men  from  the  Coast  than  the  2  Companies  of  the  34th 
who  were  embarked  yesterday  ;  that  you  might  be  sure  this 
proceeded  from  no  reluctance  on  his  part  to  assist  you,  for 
that  he  had  communicated  on  the  subject  of  sending  you 
some  Sepoys,  both  with  General  Stuart  and  General  Smith. 
— His  Lord"  added  that  bye  and  bye,  when  the  recruiting 
of  the  New  Corps  is  a  little  advanced,  he  hopes  to  be  able  to 
give  you  a  few  hundred  Men,  therefore  you  are  to  keep  asking. 

»  In  these  letters  Lord  Clive  is  frequently  referred  to  as  "  Clivus." 


348  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

"  There  is  a  very  general  and  violent  outcry  against  Davie 
for  making  his  Men  give  up  their  Arms,  but  more  so  still 
for  the  treacherous  Act,  as  they  say,  of  giving  up  the  poor 
Rajah  Moodha  Sawmy.  ..." 

On  ist  August  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Boyd,  who  was  Mr.  North's 
private  secretary,  and  seems  to  have  been  addressed  as  "  Sir 
William  "  by  his  intimates  : 

"  My  dear  Sir  William, 

"  You  cannot  imagine  how  strange  and  various  my 
feelings  have  been  on  the  Occasion  of  the  horrible  event  which 
lately  took  place  at  Kandy.  At  first  I  felt  a  gloomy  horror, 
and  was  thankful  I  was  off  the  Island  when  such  a  Tragedy 
was  acted, — but  I  soon  got  over  that  most  painful  feeling,  and 
my  old  zeal  for  our  little  Government  came  back  as  fresh  as 
it  used  to  be  when  I  sat  with  you,  twaddling  over  its  concerns 
at  your  desk,  and  I  assure  you,  I  have  not  let  that  zeal  lie 
dormant,  but  have  stirred  about  and  have  been  so  constant 
a  suitor  to  the  Gov*  on  behalf  of  Ceylon,  that  they  seem  to  look 
upon  me  now  as  an  authorized  Agent. 

"  I  have  been  putting  every  Iron  in  the  Fire  to  get  you  some 
Sepoys,  hitherto  without  Success,  but  I  do  not  despair,  and 
I  think  I  have  this  day  got  the  Chief  Secretary  to  second  my 
views.  I  have  reduced  my  demand  to  two  Companies  (200 
Men)  and  I  am  this  moment  going  to  Lord  Clive  to  follow 
up  the  Conversation  I  had  with  Buchan  in  the  morning.  ..." 

Writing  to  his  mother  on  6th  August  he  says  : 

"...  I  trust  in  God,  my  dear  Mother,  that  your  next 
Letters  will  confirm  the  favourable  Accounts  with  which  your 
last  concluded,  respecting  my  dear  Father's  Health. — Your 
kind  attendance  upon  him  during  the  last  Winter  was  like 
yourself,  and  your  own  feelings  must  be  your  reward.  Robert 
seems  quite  decided  about  going  home  in  three  or  four  years, 
by  which  time  I  hope  he  will  be  worth  £30,000.  I  cannot 
look  to  return  so  soon  as  that  period,  but  if  it  pleases  God  to 
give  me  Health  and  Strength,  I  hope  in  7  or  8  years  to  acquire 
such  a  Competency  as  may  warrant  my  retiring  from  the 
respectable  and  comfortable  Business  in  which  I  am  now 
established,  and  enable  me  to  bring  up  a  famity,  if  I  should 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       319 

ever  have  one,  in  Credit  and  Independence.  My  friends  must 
not  expect  me  to  bring  home  a  large  Fortune  ; — Mr.  Lautour 
has  acquired  one,  but  he  has  been  making  it  for  about  30 
years,  and  he  rose  from  such  small  beginnings  that  he  was 
probably  worth  £100,000  before  he  spent  one  half  of  what 
it  is  necessary  for  me  to  do  now,  who  do  not  possess  a 
fiftieth  part  of  that  Sum.  I  promise  you  that  whatever  I 
bring  shall  be  honestly  gained,  and  I  know  that  will  content 
you." 

In  a  letter  to  his  sister  Jane,  dated  17th  August,  he  writes 
as  follows  of  Madras  : 

"  I  am  .  .  .  wonderfully  reconciled  to  it  as  a  Residence, 
for  by  the  Letters  I  wrote  soon  after  my  arrival  here,  you  must 
observe  that  I  could  not  at  that  time  abide  it,  and  really  I 
secretly  wished  Mr.  Lautour's  proposals  to  me  might  be  such 
as  I  could  not  accept,  in  order  to  give  me  an  opportunity  of 
returning  to  my  little  Secretaryship  at  Colombo.  The  case 
is  very  different  now.  I  have  got  myself  estabhshed,  if  not 
in  the  genteelest  and  most  fashionable,  yet  in  an  honourable 
and  respectable  line.  I  have  found  my  way  into  a  very  good 
Society,  amongst  whom  there  are  some  my  very  intimate  and 
I  believe  sincerely  attached  Friends.  .  .  .  Lord  Clive  has  been 
very  good  to  me,  and  I  have  for  many  months  had  a  general 
Invitation  to  his  Table,  when  not  engaged  elsewhere,  which  I 
can  tell  you  is  a  convenient  as  well  as  an  agreeable  Circumstance. 
...  I  continue  to  hear  very  regularly,  almost  daily,  from 
Robert,  and  also  very  often  from  Mr.  North.  My  dear  Jane, 
if  I  were  Secretary  ten  times  over,  I  could  not  be  on  happier  or 
more  intimate  terms  with  that  most  amiable  Man.  He  and 
all  of  them  have  had  a  sad  time  of  it  lately,  as  Robert's  Letter 
will  shew  you.  I  have  been  labouring  to  get  them  some 
assistance  in  respect  to  Mihtary  Force  ;  of  money  I  have  sent 
them  about  £30,000  in  the  course  of  the  last  six  Months,  by 
which  you  will  probably  think  me  very  rich,  but  in  good  sooth 
that  is  not  the  case.  If  I  keep  my  Health,  and  things  go 
on  smoothly  for  seven  or  eight  years,  I  think  I  may  promise 
myself  the  Happiness  of  coming  amongst  you,  not  with  a 
large  Fortune,  but  with  as  much  as  will  satisfy  your  moderate 
views,  my  beloved  Jane.  .  .  ." 


350  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

George  Arbuthnot's  wish  to  provide  his  parents  with  a 
carriage  has  already  been  referred  to.  In  the  following  letter, 
addressed  to  his  brother  William  at  Edinburgh,  and  dated 
from  Fort  St.  George,  i8th  August,  1803,  he  enters  into  the 
details  of  his  plan.  It  is  sad  to  reflect  that  the  httle  scene 
he  sought  to  prepare  with  so  much  loving  forethought  can 
never  have  taken  place  as  projected,  for  his  father  died  at 
Edinburgh  on  the  5th  November  that  j-ear,  before  his  son's 
letter  can  even  have  reached  England. 

"  Dear  William, 

"  The  purpose  of  this  secret  Dispatch  is  to  communi- 
cate to  you  and  to  request  your  assistance  in  managing  a  little 
affair  in  which  you  will  greatly  oblige  Rob*  as  myself. — 
Several  of  the  Letters  we  have  rec^  from  home  mention 
that  my  Father  and  Mother  frequently  went  out  in  a  Carriage, 
hired  or  borrowed.  This  has  bi'ought  it  into  our  Heads  to 
orocure  for  them  the  Comfort  of  riding  in  one  more  commodious 
than  a  Hack  Chaise  or  Hackney  Coach,  and  more  at  their 
Command  than  the  Carriage  of  a  Friend  can  ever  be, — and 
we  mean  that  you  should  have  your  share  of  the  pleasure  arising 
from  this  Scheme  by  charging  you  with  the  business  of  execut- 
ing the  Commission. 

"  You  will  therefore,  my  dear  Fellow,  with  all  convenient 
speed,  purchase  a  plain,  but  very  well  finished  Coach  or  Chaise, 
as  you  and  Anne  ■  and  Jane  shall  judge  most  expedient  and 
commodious,  taking  care  that  it  be  particularly  well  lined, 
so  as  to  be  snug  and  warm,  and  that  it  be  of  very  easy  ascent. 
The  Expence  not  to  exceed  £300. 

"  Item,  a  Pair  of  strong,  steady  Horses,  black  or  bays,  the 
cost  of  which  we  hope  will  not  exceed  100  guineas.  You  will 
then  engage  as  a  Coachman  a  Man  on  whose  Sobriety  you 
can  depend,  and  get  him  properly  cloathed.  When  all  is 
provided,  you  must  contrive  a  party  to  Mavisbank,  or  any- 
where else  you  please,  and  instead  of  a  hack  Chaise  for  my 
Father  and  Mother,  you  must  have  their  own  Carriage  drive 
up  to  the  Door,  and  if  possible  let  them  be  fairly  seated  in  it 
before  they  are  told  how  all  this  came  about.     Robert  and  I 

•  William  Arbuthnot,  afterwards  the  first  Baronet,  had  married  in  1800 
Anne,  daughter  of  Dr.  John  Alves  of  Shipland. 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       351 

calculate  the  Expence  of  keeping  a  Carriage  at  about  jfaoo 
a-year,  of  which  £ioo  is  to  be  paid  annually  by  you  as  the 
Interest  of  the  £2,000  you  owe  Robert,  and  you  will  draw  for 
the  Hke  Sum  on  Messrs.  Thomas  Coutts  and  Co,  on  my  ace*. 
For  the  Purchase  Money,  being  somewhere  about  £400,  you 
will  draw  two  Bills  in  equal  Sums,  of  which  a  Letter  of  mine 
to  Coutts  Trotter  will  procure  their  favourable  reception. 
I  trust,  my  dear  William,  it  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  urge 
you  to  execute  the  above  Commission  exactly  as  here  set  down. 
Should  my  Mother,  after  she  has  got  the  Carriage  (for  she 
must  positively  not  know  of  it  beforehand),  make  any  objections 
on  the  score  of  propriety,  as  I  have  sometimes  heard  her  do, 
pray  say  to  her  that  there  can  be  no  impropriety  in  her  Sons 
having  a  Carriage  if  they  can  afford  to  keep  it,  and  Robert 
and  I  prefer  having  ours  at  Edinburgh  rather  than  in  this 
Country.  ..." 

On  the  same  day  that  the  above  letter  was  written,  George 
Arbuthnot   also  wrote  to   Lord  Glenbervie   as  follows  : 

"...  You  will  receive  by  this  ship  (the  Wellesley) 
several  Letters  from  Mr.  North  and  my  Brother,  not  written,  I 
fear,  in  good  spirits.  The  misfortunes  that  have  happened  at 
Kandy  have  been  cruel  indeed  and  were  enough  to  overpower 
stronger  Nerves  than  those  of  our  excellent  Governour  ; 
Robert,  however,  has  been  proof  against  every  Shock,  and 
I  cannot  say  what  a  Blessing  it  has  been  that  Mr.  North  had 
at  that  unhappy  time  so  affectionate  a  Friend  and  firm  a 
Man  to  support  him.  It  is  a  great  Consolation  to  think, 
under  this  disaster,  that  no  blame  whatsoever  can  be  im- 
puted to  the  Measures  of  Gov* ;  every  precaution  was  taken 
that  prudence  and  foresight  could  take,  but  no  caution  at 
Colombo  could  prevent  Major  Davie  from  taking  the  fatal 
step  of  giving  up  his  Arms,  at  the  time  when  he  had  a  force 
sufficient  on  a  pinch  to  have  dispersed  the  whole  Kandian 
Army.  .  .  ." 

Writing  to  Coutts  Trotter  on  the  7th  September,  he  refers 
to  his  move  from  Ceylon  to  Madras  as  follows  : 

"...  Without  forgetting  the  Comforts  of  my  Situation 
in  Ceylon,  and  in  truth  they  were  great,  I  have  never  once 


352  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

repented  of  the  change.  There  is  in  my  present  place,  as  you 
justly  observe,  a  certain  degree  of  Risk,  and  consequently 
of  anxiety, — but  what  Situation  is  free  from  that  ?  I  would 
sooner  submit  to  the  anxiety  of  a  Commercial  Risk,  where 
10,000  Pagodas  were  involved,  than  to  the  feeling  of  a  General 
Dispatch  not  being  understood  by  those  to  whom  it  is  addressed, 
and  the  risk  of  wigs  coming  out  instead  of  Compliments, — 
that  is  the  Devil  !  .  .  ." 

To  his  brother  William  he  wrote  on  the  loth  September  : 

"...  I  am  sorry,  my  dear  Wilham,  you  have  taken  it 
into  your  Head  that  I  am  likely  to  become  very  rich,  and  I 
am  afraid  some  of  my  foolish  Letters,  written  in  high  spirits 
and  seeing  everything  fair  before  me,  without  making  due 
allowance  for  Disappointments,  Losses,  &c.,  &c.,  &c.,  may 
have  tended  to  give  you  that  impression  ;  I  certainly  have 
the  prospect  of  Competency,  but  to  become  Master  of  a  large 
Fortune  would  require  a  much  longer  Residence  in  India  than 
I  have  at  present  thoughts  of  making.  Do  not,  therefore, 
my  good  Fellow,  entertain  such  an  Idea  respecting  me,  and 
far  less  let  anyone  else  do  so.  .  .  ." 

It  appears  that  shortly  after  this  Mr.  North  decided  to 
appoint  George  Arbuthnot  Agent  at  Madras  for  the  Ceylon 
Government,  for  we  find  the  latter  writing  as  follows  to  his 
brother  Robert  on  the  9th  October  : 

"...  Your  Letter  of  the  23rd  informs  me  of  the  Governour 
having  appointed  me  Agent  to  the  Government,  for  which  I 
am  much  obliged  to  him, — not  that  this  accession  of  Dignitas 
can  add  one  bit  to  the  anxious  Interest  and  hearty  Zeal 
which  I  feel  for  all  your  Concerns. 

"It  is  impossible  for  me  to  charge  any  Agency  in  my 
individual  Capacity,  being  bound  to  take  in  hand  no  business 
in  the  Profits  of  which  my  Partners  shall  not  participate,  and 
indeed,  if  no  such  Article  existed  in  our  Agreement,  I  should 
not  like  to  have  my  Interest  in  any  respect  separate  from  that 
of  my  worthy  Partners,  whose  delicacy,  hberality  and  kindness 
to  me  can,  I  assure  you,  hardly  be  equalled. 

"  I  shall  with  pleasure  act  as  the  Agent  of  your  Govern- 
ment in  any  Negotiation  or  Business  with  that  of  Madras,  but 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE        853 

that  must  be  a  Service  merely  of  honour  ;  on  all  Commissions 
which  may  be  executed  on  your  behalf,  a  Charge  will  be  made 
by  this  House  proportionate  to  the  trouble  we  may  have  and 
to  general  Usage  ;  for  instance,  we  shall  charge  you  5  p' 
Cent,  on  the  Bullock  and  Cooly  Business,  which,  considering 
the  plague  and  turmoil  which  it  gives  me,  is  not  unreasonable. 
"  Pray  mention  all  this  to  His  Excellency  with  my  best 
respects.  .  .  ." 

Of  this  appointment  he  wrote  to  his  mother  the  following 
month  : 

"...  I  have  been  appointed  Agent  to  the  Ceylon  Gov'  at 
this  Presidency,  which,  while  not  an  office  of  any  profit,  is  very 
creditable  and  gives  me  a  hold  in  the  Settlement  equal  to 
Company's  Indentures.  ..." 

On  the  30th  August  Lord  William  Bentinck  had  arrived 
in  Madras,  to  replace  Lord  Clive  as  Governor.  Some  impres- 
sions of  the  new  Governor  and  his  wife  are  contained  in  a 
letter  addressed  to  Mr.  North,  dated  Fort  St.  George,  8th 
November,  1803  : 

"...  I  am  beginning,  I  think,  to  get  a  little  into  favour 
with  the  new  tenants  at  the  Government  House. — I  will 
tell  you  what  makes  me  be  of  that  opinion.  The  other  day, 
I  wanted  to  see  Lord  Wilham,  to  speak  to  him  about  buying 
our  houses  in  the  Fort  ;  when  I  went  to  his  Office,  and  had 
written  my  name  on  the  Slate,  I  recollected  that  I  had  come 
on  a  wrong  day,  and,  desiring  my  name  to  be  rubbed  out,  I 
came  away.  Yesterday,  Lord  William  sent  for  me  and 
said  that  he  had  heard  of  my  calling  and  going  away  without 
seeing  him  because  it  was  not  his  Audience  Day,  now,  says 
his  Lordship,  I  desire  you  will  never  hesitate  to  come  to  me 
on  any  day  or  at  any  hour,  as  I  shall  always  be  happy  to  see 
you. 

"  He  then  took  up  your  letter,  which  he  had  just  received, 
and  began  a  long  discourse  on  Ceylon,  asking  many  questions 
About  your  Official  Regulations,  and  really  some  of  them  much 
to  the  Purpose. — I  afterwards  dined  at  Lord  William's  with  a 
small  party  .  .  .  Lady  William  had  the  toothache  and  did 
not  appear  till  after  Dinner,  when  she  came  in  her  night-cap  ; 
23 


354  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

she  is  not  pretty,  but  has  such  a  look  of  goodness,  and  shews 
so  great  a  desire  to  please,  that  it  is  impossible  not  to  like  her, 
— she  has  a  little  twang  of  the  Brogue,"  but  not  so  as  to  be  in 
the  least  offensive.  .  .  . 

"  My  dear  Sir,  pray  excuse  this  long,  twaddling  Account  of 
the  Royal  Family  of  Madras.  I  have  given  it  to  you  for 
want  of  other  matter." 

To  a  cousin,  Miss  Eleanor  Urquhart,  he  wrote  on  22nd 
March,  1804  : 

"...  I  thank  you  heartily  for  your  kind  congratulations 
on  my  change  of  Situation  from  a  Servant  of  Government  in 
Ceylon  to  a  share  in  a  Mercantile  House  at  Madras.  As  to 
your  Idea,  my  dear  Cousin,  of  this  Change  making  me  soon  a 
rich  Man,  I  am  afraid  it  is  not  likely  to  be  realized, — certainly 
it  will  not  be  so  till  the  French  Gov'  becomes  quiet  and  allows 
us  to  return  to  a  state  of  Peace  ;  but  although  I  am  not  in 
the  way  of  making  a  rapid  Fortune,  I  am  sure  of  a  decent 
Independence,  and,  I  would  fain  hope,  too,  of  returning  Home 
before  I  am  too  old  to  enjoy  the  Society  of  my  friends, — 
according  to  your  very  friendly  wish.  .  .  . 

"  The  Society  at  Madras  has  made  a  great  acquisition  in 
the  Family  of  our  new  Governor,  Lord  William  Bentinck  ; 
altho'  under  thirty,  there  is  a  maturity  of  Understanding  and 
Steadiness  of  AppHcation  to  Business,  which  are  quite  admirable. 
He  is  civil  and  even  kind  to  everyone,  sees  and  hears  everything 
himself  and  at  the  same  time  with  excellent  Sense  avoids 
shewing  Partiahties.  The  Company  have  not  had  such  a 
Governour  since  the  days  of  Lord  Macartney.  .  .  ." 

Two  months  later  the  news  of  his  father's  death  reached 
him.     He  writes  to  his  mother  on  the  4th  May  : 

"  My  dearest  Mother, 

"  The  Newspapers  which  arrived  from  England  over- 
land the  day  before  yesterday  brought  me  information  of  the 
Death  of  my  dear  and  Honoured  Father,  an  event  which, 
though  not  altogether  unprepared  for,   I  could  not  hear  of 

'  Lord  William  Bentinck  had  married,  the  preceding  February,  the  Hon. 
Mary  Acheson,  daughter  of  Arthur,  second  Viscount  (afterwards  first  Earl  of) 
Gosford. 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       355 

without  a  shock  to  my  FeeUngs  which  every  break  in  the 
Chain  of  our  Life  must  occasion.— But  far  from  repining  at 
this  Dispensation  of  Providence,  I  am  thankful  to  God  for 
having  spared  my  Father  to  a  reasonable  old  age,  and  till 
he  had  the  comfort  of  knowing  that  his  family  were  respectably 
and  comfortably  settled  in  the  world. 

"  An  event  of  this  kind  brings  the  Image  of  the  Person 
strongly  to  the  Mind  of  those  at  a  distance,  and  it  has  been 
with  a  feehng  of  very  tender  affection  that  I  have  traced  back 
my  Infant  years,  spent  under  my  Father's  eyes  and  almost 
in  his  arms.  Now  that  God  has  taken  him  from  us.  His 
Children  must  cling  the  closer  to  the  Parent  that  remains  to 
us,  and  our  first  care  and  solicitude  must  be  to  make  you 
happy  and  comfortable,  my  Dearest  Mother. 

"  In  pecuniary  matters,  I  imagine  you  are  as  easy  as  you 
desire  ;  if  it  be  not  so,  you  know  that  whatever  I  have,  or 
can  earn,  is  at  your  Command,  and  I  can  safely  say  the  same 
on  Robert's  behalf,  for  strong  and  warm  is  his  attachment 
to  you.  .  .  . 

"  I  cannot  express  how  great  a  consolation  it  is  to  my 
Mind  to  know  that  you  have  with  you  that  worthy  and  affec- 
tionate Member  of  our  Family,  William,  for  the  first  feeling  I 
had  upon  hearing  the  melancholy  news  was  '  My  Father  dead, 
and  I  so  far  away  from  my  Mother  ! '  I  trust  I  shall  hear  very 
particularly  what  arrangements  are  made  in  the  Family, 
where  you  reside,  whether  you  have  Bess'  Children"  with 
you,  and  whether  you  are  provided  with  every  convenience 
and  comfort  you  can  desire.  .  .  ." 

To  his  brother  Robert  he  wrote  on  the  12th  June  : 

"...  I  have  read  my  Mother's  Letters  to  you  of  the  20th 
Jan.  with  very  great  pleasure,  for  it  is  most  gratifying  to  see 
that  our  Father,  in  the  midst  of  all  his  Sufferings,  was  made 
occasionally  happy  and  comfortable  by  thinking  of  us. — I 
give  up  my  legacy  from  our  aunt  Wilson  =  with  the  greatest 
Willingness. — But  I  am  sorry  to  see  them  taking  it  into 
their  Heads  at  Edinburgh  that  I  am  already  a  Man  of  Fortune, 

'  The  children  of  his  sister,  Lady  Hunter. 

>  His  aunt,  Barbara  Arbuthnot,  had  married  Dr.  David  Wilson  of  Peterhead, 
and  must  have  died  about  this  time. 


356  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

whereas  I  declare  to  you  that,  owing  to  this  war,  I  do  not 
believe  I  am  worth  a  thousand  pounds.  ..." 

A  week  later  he  wrote  to  his  brother  : 

"...  I  am  glad  to  hear  your  Birth  Day  Ball  went  off 
so  well,  I  am  told  that  Lady  William's  was  quite  the  contrary, 
thin  and  dull ;  there  is  some  Schism  among  the  Ladies  of 
Madras,  for  a  great  number  of  them,  and  some  of  the  prettiest, 
staid  away  from  the  Ball,  without  any  other  reason  than 
the  heat,  and  the  same  ladies  went  and  danced  at  the  Rooms 
three  nights  after,  when  it  was  still  more  oppressive.  .  .  ." 

The  conviction  of  his  relatives  in  Scotland  that  he  was 
already  in  possession  of  a  large  fortune  seems  to  have  dis- 
turbed George  Arbuthnot  a  good  deal.  On  the  loth  August, 
1804,  he  writes  to  his  mother  : 

"...  I  am  anxious  that  you  should  not  be  carried  away 
with  the  common  Notion  that  because  I  am  in  the  House  of 
Lautour  I  should  make  money  by  enchantment  ! — However, 
I  am  far  from  insensible  to  the  advantages  of  my  Situation, 
and  know  that  I  can  never  be  sufficiently  thankful  to  God  for 
placing  me  in  it,  and  grateful  to  those  friends  who  were  instru- 
mental in  procuring  it  for  me.  ..." 

In  a  letter  to  his  sister  Jane,  dated  the  9th  October,  after 
speaking  of  his  brother  Robert's  prospects,  he  writes  : 

"  With  regard  to  poor  I,  things  are  but  so-so  ;  I  am 
labouring  like  a  horse  from  morning  till  night,  am  supposed 
to  be  gaining  mints  of  money,  and  probably  looked  upon  as 
a  saving  old  Creature,  when  in  fact  my  gains  do  little  more 
than  pay  the  interest  of  my  Debt  ■  and  bear  my  Expences ! 
My  means  are  so  much  mistaken,  that  I  believe  there  are  few 
Mothers  in  the  place  who  would  not  be  glad  to  see  me  make 
up  to  their  Daughters,  and  if  I  did  so  to  anyone,  the  Miss  would 
expect  a  settlement  of  at  least  twenty  thousand  Pagodas  !  .  .  . 
Never,  my  dear  Jane,  omit  any  matter  from  a  fear  of  what  you 
say  having  been  told  me  by  someone  else.  In  Books,  you 
know  how  agreeable  it  is  to  read  an  account  of  the  same  subject 

»  This  was  his  debt  to  M.  Lautour,  who,  on  his  joining  the  firm  in  1803  had 
lent  him  ;£io,ooo,  which  he  put  into  the  business  as  his  share  of  its  capital. 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       357 

or  period  of  time  by  different  authors.  Well,  it  is  the  same 
in  letters,  and  although  I  am  fond  of  both  History  and  Politicks, 
I  would  not  forego  your  little  domestic  annals  for  all  that  Mr. 
Hume  has  written  or  Mr.  Pitt  has  spoken.  From  the  period 
of  life  at  which  I  came  to  this  Country,  my  Impressions  were 
all  taken  and  fixed,  everything  of  Home  is  fresh  in  my  Memory, 
and  the  Interest  I  take  in  all  Matters  of  a  Family  or  even  a 
Neighbourly  Nature,  is  as  strong  and  warm  as  if  I  had  just 
left  you.  .  .  .  Along  with  your  Letter  of  the  7th  March,  I 
received  one  from  Bess,  dated  at  Madrid  in  Feb'',  which 
I  intend  to  answer  by  this  opportunity  ;  poor  Bess,  what  a 
strange,  wandering  sort  of  life  she  has  had  for  the  last  Ten 
Years.  She  is  a  noble  Creature,  and  seems  endowed  with  a 
great  portion  of  my  dear  Mother's  fortitude.  .  .  ." 

During  the  years  that  followed  George  Arbuthnot  remained 
at  Madras,  and  the  firm  of  Lautour  and  Co.  grew  and  prospered. 
In  the  course  of  time  the  youngest  partner  found  himself  at 
the  head  of  the  business  and  in  possession  of  the  large  fortune 
his  family  had  early  anticipated.  The  style  of  the  firm  was 
altered  to  that  of  "  Arbuthnot  and  Co.,"  and  this  was  the 
genesis  of  the  great  and  long-honoured  banking  house  of  that 
name,  which,  during  the  course  of  over  a  hundred  years, 
enjoyed  an  unexampled  supremacy  in  the  Presidency,  and  came 
to  such  a  disastrous  end  in  1906,  long  after  the  control  of  the 
business  had  passed  from  the  hands  of  Mr.  Arbuthnot 's  direct 
descendants.  We  have  no  letters  of  George  Arbuthnot's 
between  1804  and  1812.  In  the  interval  he  had  married 
Eliza  Fraser,  daughter  of  Donald  Fraser,  solicitor  of  Inverness. 
She  came  out  to  Madras  in  1807,  apparently  on  a  visit  to  her 
uncle,  Dr.  Wilham  Ord,  who  was  a  surgeon  in  the  East  India 
Company's  service.  The  wedding  took  place  at  St.  Mary's 
Church,  Fort  St.  George,  26th  April,  1810,  the  bride  being 
given  away  by  Dr.  Ord. 

Their  eldest  child,  a  daughter,  was  born  on  the  29th 
April,  1812,  and  christened  Mary.  Writing  to  his  mother-in- 
law,  Mrs.  MacLeod,'  on  the  27th  June,  1812,  George  Arbuthnot 
refers  as  follows  to  the  event  : 

'  Eliza  Eraser's  mother,  vie  Mary  Ord  (daughter  of  Richard  Ord  of  tlie 
Merkinch,  Inverness),  was  at  this  time  married  to  her  second  husband,  Captain 
MacLeod.     Her  first  husband,  Donald  Fraser,  had  died  in  1798. 


358  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

"...  My  Eliza  has  already  informed  you  of  the  Birth 
of  your  Grand  Daughter  and  Namesake,  on  which  subject 
I  have  only  to  add  that  this  Child  is  a  material  addition  to  the 
happiness  with  which  it  had  pleased  God  already  to  bless  me, 
and  she  is,  as  you  may  suppose,  a  continual  source  of  interest 
and  occupation  to  her  dear  young  mother.  .  .  ." 

To  Coutts  Trotter  he  wrote  on  the  loth  November : 

"...  Talking  of  female  accomplishments  brings  it  to  my 
mind  to  mention  to  you  a  young  Lady  who,  I  hope,  will  in 
due  time  possess  a  fair  and  moderate  portion  of  them, — this 
is  Miss  Mary  Arbuthnot,  a  Damsel  who  has  now  attained  the 
age  of  six  months  and  is  allowed  by  her  Father,  Mother  and 
other  impartial  observers  to  give  promise  of  an  intelligent 
Countenance  and  an  enlightened  mind.  ..." 

From  George  Arbuthnot's  letters,  it  appears  that  he  was 
very  anxious  to  bring  his  little  daughter  to  England  before  she 
was  four  years  old,  and  accordingly  we  find  that  he  and  his 
family  were  at  home  in  1816,  in  which  year  his  twin  daughters 
were  born  in  his  mother's  house,  47,  Queen  Street,  Edinburgh. 
He  appears  not  to  have  returned  to  Madras  for  several  years. 
Writing  to  Mr.  William  Mactaggart,  then  in  Madras,  from 
Edinburgh,  May  26  and  27,  1818,  he  refers  to  his  mother's 
death,  which  had  taken  place  on  the  14th  of  that  month.  He 
speaks  of  having  passed  a  week  with  her  a  short  time  before, 
"  and  when  I  left  her  she  had  the  intention  of  soon  following 
me  to  London,  accompanied  by  my  sister  and  three  of  my 
children,  who  had  been  under  her  care.  But  God  ordered  it 
otherwise,  for  in  three  weeks  from  my  departure  my  Brother 
wrote  me  that  our  dear  Mother  was  unwell, — so  seriously 
unwell  that  he  apprehended  the  worst  ! — I  got  into  the  Mail 
Coach  the  same  evening  and  came  here  in  three  days,  but 
came  too  late.  My  Mother  had  breathed  her  last.  I  had  the 
consolation  of  learning  from  those  who  were  about  her  that  her 
death  was  a  most  happy  one.  She  had  no  pain  or  suffering 
of  any  kind,  and  expired  like  an  Infant  going  to  sleep, — 
the  happy  end  of  a  well  spent  life.  ..." 

In  iSig  George  Arbuthnot  purchased  a  55  years'  lease 
of  a  house  in  Upper  Wimpole  Street,  No.  14,  where  several 
of  his  children  were  born.     In  1820  he  and  his  wife  were  again 


GEORGE  ARBUTHNOT  OF  ELDERSLIE   359 

in  Madras,  Lady  Hunter  being  left  in  charge  of  their  children 
in  England,  and  in  1823  Mr.  Arbuthnot  retired  from  business, 
and  came  home  for  good  to  England.  The  firm  of  Arbuthnot 
and  Co.  was  then  a  flourishing  and  prosperous  concern,  and 
among  Mr.  Arbuthnot's  papers  ■  has  been  found  the  copy  of  a 
farewell  letter  addressed  by  him  to  his  partners  in  1823,  among 
whom  at  that  time  were  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  John  Eraser, 
and  Major  Patrick  Vans  Agnew,  who  had  married  Catherine 
Eraser,  sister  of  Mrs.  George  Arbuthnot.  The  letter,  after 
touching  on  various  matters  of  business,  proceeds  as  follows  : 

"  In  conclusion,  I  have  only  to  recommend  that  you,  my 
dear  Friends,  will  strive  to  preserve  and  increase  the  reputa- 
tion of  our  House,  and  keep  alive  its  integrity,  its  prudence,  its 
hberahty. — Be  kind,  though  strict,  to  our  Clerks  and  Servants, 
and  be  lenient  to  those,  particularly  those  of  long  standing,  if 
thej^  endeavour  to  do  well,  tho'  they  may  not  be  so  clever  as 
their  Neighbours ;  but  it  is  no  hardship  to  give  punctual 
attendance,  and  on  that  you  should  insist. — Keep  down  in 
your  bosoms  all  bad  passions,  be  just  in  your  deaUngs,  let  your 
Senior  always  take  the  lead,  and  then  pull  together  : — and 
may  God's  Providence  guide  your  undertaking.  Adieu. 
George  Arbuthnot." 

In  1824  Mr.  Arbuthnot  purchased  his  Surrey  property, 
Elderslie,  in  the  parish  of  Ockley  ;  he  refers  to  it  as  follows 
in  his  diary  : 

"  March  ^oth,  1824. — Saw  Elderslie  Lodge  for  the  first 
time. 

"  April  13th. — Agnew  to  make  the  purchase  for  £9,000  and 
to  be  put  in  possession  without  further  Expence  as  p.  my 
letter  to  Captain  Sykes  of  that  date. 

"  May  Cjth. — Visited  Captain  and  Mrs.  Sykes  at  Elderslie 
with  my  nephew  George. 

"  May  2^th. — Completed  the  purchase  and  paid  the  price 
at  Messrs.  Farrers  and  Co. 

"  May  26th. — Came  down  alone  and  took  possession  of 
Eldershe  Lodge. 

"  May  ^xst. — Sent  down  four  of  the  children  with  Miss 
Scott    and   Margaret    Millar.  .  .  . 

'  In  my  husband's  possession. 


360  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

"  June  ^th. — Came  down  with  E.  A."  Mary  and  little  Kate 
and  settled  ourselves.  .  .  ." 

Writing  to  his  nephew,  Robert  Hunter,  on  the  19th  May, 
he  refers  to  Elderslie  as  follows  : 

"...  I  beheve  I  mentioned  in  some  of  my  previous 
Letters  having  made  the  purchase  of  a  Httle  place  in  Surrey 
called  Eldershe  Lodge, — a  cottage  on  a  commodious  scale, 
all  furnished  and  stocked  ;  with  60  acres  of  land,  garden  &c., 
a  freehold,  for  which  I  gave  Captain  Sykes  of  the  R.  A.  £9,000. 

The  diary  runs  on  over  a  course  of  years,  chronicling  the 
simple,  uneventful  episodes  of  a  country  gentleman's  life. 
The  state  of  the  weather  is  noted  every  day,  and  small  events 
carefully  and  methodically  recorded,  as  that  the  gardener 
was  clearing  away  some  "  good-for-nothing-trees,"  or  the 
man  had  come  over  from  Dorking  to  tune  the  "  pianoforte." 

"  In  this  comparative  retirement,"  writes  Sir  Charles 
Lawson,'  "  with  the  diversion  of  occasional  visits  among 
friends  in  the  North,  and  some  Continental  journeyings  in 
France,  Spain,  Portugal  and  Italy,  accompanied  by  members 
of  his  family,  Mr.  Arbuthnot  passed  the  remaining  two  decades 
of  his  life.  It  was  not  in  his  nature  to  wish  '  the  applause 
of  list'ning  senates  to  command,'  and  he  therefore  declined 
invitations  to  stand  for  Parhament.  He  took,  however,  a 
keen  interest  in  political  matters,  and  was  a  good,  but  by  no 
means  a  narrow-minded  Conservative.  He  held  the  Duke 
of  Wellington  and  Sir  Robert  Peel,  as  statesmen,  in  special 
regard.  One  way  and  another  he  afforded  an  admirable 
example  of  the  best  type  of  British  merchants  of  his  day. 
He  possessed  the  '  pen  of  the  ready  writer  ' ;  he  wrote  an  excel- 
lent '  hand  '  :  and  he  did  not  mind  trouble  when  conducting 
a  large  correspondence  with  business  or  private  friends  at  home 
or  abroad.  He  was  an  early  riser,  and  a  great  economiser 
of  time,  while  his  habits  were  well  calculated  to  maintain  the 
vigour  of  his  mind  and  body.  He  was  a  Justice  of  the  Peace 
of  a  conscientious  type  ;    and,  among  other  things,  he  was 

•  His  wife,  nee  Eliza  Fraser. 

2  Memories  of  Madras,  p.  275,  London,  1905,  Swan,  Sonnenscliein  and  Co., 
now  George  Allen  and  Unwin,  Limited. 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       3G1 

a  Director  of  the  Palladium  Life  and  Fire  Insurance  Company 
(now  absorbed  in  the  North  British  and  Mercantile  Insurance 
Company)  ;   and  an  original  member  of  the  Oriental  Club." 

On  4th  December,  1826  (his  birthday),  Mr.  Arbuthnot 
writes  as  follows  in  his  diary  :  "  This  year  I  complete  my 
54th  year,  having  been  born  at  Edinburgh,  1772,  at  a  time  when 
my  family  was  under  the  pressure  of  great  difficulties.  My 
father,  who  was  a  Banker  under  the  Firm  of  Arbuthnot  and 
Guthrie,  having  been  involved  in  the  misfortunes  of  those 
times  and  obliged  to  stop  payment. — But  this  great  mis- 
fortune did  not  hurt  his  character,  as  appears  by  the  number 
of  great  and  good  men  who  continued  to  associate  with  him 
and  to  give  him  their  support.  My  mother's  conduct  in  those 
trying  days  I  have  heard  spoken  of  as  of  the  most  exemplary 
description.  She  was  a  woman  of  such  virtues  and  excellence 
and  such  good  sense  and  judgment  as  few  have  equalled.  How 
different  is  my  situation  this  day  from  the  situation  of  my 
harassed  Parents  at  the  time  of  my  birth  !  May  God  inspire 
me  with  their  virtues,  and  may  I  do  my  duty  to  my  family 
and  neighbours  as  they  did  theirs.  .  .  ." 

The  following  is  a  httle  side-light  on  the  despatch  of  county 
business,  and  the  rather  summary  punishment  meted  out  to 
offenders  at  that  time.  After  relating  that  on  3rd  April, 
1827,  he  left  town  for  Kingston  at  8  a.m.  to  serve  on  the 
Grand  Jury  with  twenty-two  other  gentlemen  jurors  and  Mr. 
William  Jolhffe  as  chairman,  he  mentions  that  he  dined  with 
the  Jury  at  the  Sun  Hotel  and  went  to  bed  at  the  Sheriff's 
Lodgings.     The  following  day  the  entry  is  as  follows  : 

"  Kingston,  Wednesday,  April  4th,  1827. — Delightful 
weather, — quite  a  summer  feel.  Rose  early  and  walked  all 
round  the  town  of  Kingston, — particularly  to  see  the  Bridge 
over  the  Thames,  now  building.  The  Court  opened  at  9  a.m., 
from  which  hour  I  attended  and  heard  the  trial  of  Wm. 
Lassams  for  steahng  a  sheep  from  Mr.  Walter  Calvert,  he 
was  convicted  and  transported  for  life.  The  Grand  Jury 
assembled  at  10  a.m.  and  sat  till  near  5,  when  they  were 
discharged,  and  I  came  to  town  and  dined  with  Mr.  Calvert 
in  Dover  St.  .  .  . 


362  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

"  Thursday,  26th  April,  1827. — The  anniversary  of  our 
Marriage,  17  years  ago,  the  happiest  event  in  my  Life,  as  it 
is  with  every  Man  who  is  blessed  with  the  Hand  and  Heart  of 
a  virtuous,  prudent  and  amiable  Woman,  and  with  a  family 
of  good,  promising  children.  .  .  ." 

In  1828  Mr.  Arbuthnot  was  in  Dieppe,  where  the  manners 
of  the  bathing  population  seem  to  have  surprised  him.  He 
writes  : 

"...  I  saw  the  new  Baths,  Reading-room  &c.,  also  the 
Bathers  in  the  Sea.  Machines  seem  little  in  use  here,  and 
Ladies  and  Gentlemen  were  in  the  water  in  large  groups  at  a 
short  distance  from  each  other.  ..." 

In  the  same  year  Mr.  Arbuthnot  was  in  Rome,  and  went 
to  see  the  Stuart  tomb  in  St.  Peter's.     He  writes  as  follows  : 

"  Rome,  Tuesday,  Dec.  30th,  1828. — The  weather  sunny 
and  pleasant.  At  J  p.  10  a.m.,  I  set  off  on  foot  for  St. 
Peter's.  .  .  .  We  saw  the  Graves  of  the  three  last  of  the  royal 
line  of  Stuart,  viz*.  James, — the  son  of  James  II, — who  never 
ascended  the  throne,  though  he  made  a  push  for  it  in  1715, 
when  my  grandfather '  fought  for  him,  and  that  was  the  cause 
of  his  going  to  Spain,  in  the  Navy  of  which  country  he  made 
his  fortune.  This  James  used  in  my  early  days,  when  spoken 
of  in  Scotland  to  be  distinguished  by  the  name  of  the 
Chevalier. — Also  the  Tombs  of  his  two  sons,  Charles  Edward 
and  Henry,  Cardinal  of  York.  All  these  are  in  their  Epitaph 
described  as  Kings  of  Gr.  Br.,  Fra.  and  Ireland,  viz*.  Jacobus 
III,  Carolus  III  and  Henricus  IX.  .  .". 

On  the  i8th  September,  1829,  Sir  WilHam  Arbuthnot  died 
very  suddenly  in  Edinburgh.  The  news  reached  Elderslie 
on  the  2ist,  being  conveyed  in  a  letter  to  George  Arbuthnot 
from  Captain  Basil  Hall,  who  had  married  his  niece,  Margaret 
Hunter,  and  was  then  in  Edinburgh.  Mr.  Arbuthnot  was  much 
affected  by  the  news  of  his  only  surviving  brother's  death. 
His  family  were  all  out  walking  when  the  letter  reached  him, 
and  as  they  came  in  he  had  the  task  of  breaking  it  to  them, 
one  by  one.  He  writes  that  on  his  sister,  Lady  Hunter, 
"  it  had  the  most  severe  effect,  and  I  was  made  anxious  about 
herself." 

'  John  Urquhart  of  Craigston. 


^^' 


<  ^ 

<  p 


.%^. 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE        3C3 

He  left  at  once  for  Edinburgh,  reaching  it  on  the  24th. 
He  writes  :  "...  Arrived  at  the  Post  Office  Edin''  at  half 
past  3  o'clock,  and  found  there  Captain  Macleod,'  Adam 
Urquhart '  and  Basil  Hall, — also  Smith  of  the  Trustees  Office, 
who  took  charge  of  my  things.  I  walked  to  Charlotte  Square 
with  B.H.  and  A.U.,  and  was  met  at  the  door  by  my  nephews 
Ed'^.  and  Henry,'  and  immediately  afterwards  went  upstairs 
to  the  Bed  Room  of  my  poor  widowed  Sister-in-Law,  who  I 
found,  as  I  expected,  in  an  agony  of  grief ;  it  was  a  most  dis- 
tressing interview,  but  I  did  not  leave  her  till  she  had  gained 
some  degree  of  composure.   .   .   . 

"  Friday,  Sept.  25th—.  .  .  Soon  after  2  o'clock,  the 
funeral  took  place.  .  .  .  The  service  was  read  in  St.  John's 
Chapel,  by  the  venerable  Bishop  Sandford,  and  the  last  part 
of  it  at  the  Grave,  by  Mr.  Ramsay.  We  laid  the  Remains 
of  my  dear  Brother  in  the  Vault  of  his  Family,  near  the  Grave 
of  our  Mother.  I  could  not  help  experiencing  some  painful 
sensations  when  the  Grave  was  filled  up,  the  soil  thrown  in 
being  chiefly  stones,  some  of  them  large,  which  rebounded 
ag*  the  coffin.  After  our  return  from  this  last  solemn 
ceremony,  I  visited  my  Sister-in-Law,  and  found  her 
dressed  in  her  widow's  weeds. — After  a  burst  of  tears,  she 
was  composed,  and  I  spoke  to  her  of  the  necessary  pro- 
ceedings which  must  take  place  in  the  affairs  of  the  Dead, 
for  the  sake  of  the  Living,  &c." 

"  Edin",  Monday,  Sep'  2Sth,  1829. — Gusty  morning,  with 
occasional  showers  and  cold.  Employed  early,  looking  over 
some  old  Journals  of  my  Brother  Robert.  The  earliest  I 
found  was  his  Journey  to  France  in  1784,  after  his  return  from 
the  Siege  of  Gibraltar,  and  when  about  23  Years  of  age.  He 
was  then  a  Lieutenant  on  half  pay,  and  his  income  was  2/4 
per  diem  !  The  last  of  these  Journals  is  Dated  in  July,  1808, 
after  his  return  from  Ceylon,  a  man  of  handsome  fortune, 
to  the  bulk  of  which  my  Brother  William  succeeded  in  that 
very  year  when  Robert  was  lost  at  Sea  between  Cadiz  and 

•  The  second  husband  of  his  mother-in-law,  Mrs.  Donald  Fraser. 

2  This  was  a  first  cousin  of  Mr.  Arbuthnot's,  being  a  younger  son  of  his  uncle, 
William  Urquhart  of  Craigston. 

3  James  Edward  Arbuthnot  and  Henry  Dundas  Arbuthnot,  sixth  and  seventh 
sons  of  Sir  William  Arbuthnot. 


364  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

Gibraltar,  on  board  of  the  '  Viper,'  Sloop  of  War.  .  .  .  We 
went  to  Mr.  Thomson,  the  Painter  in  Northumberland 
Street,  and  looked  at  the  unfinished  Miniature  of  my 
Brother,  intended  for  his  son  Archy,  which  struck  me  as 
being  a  most  unfavourable  likeness,  and  not  giving  in  the 
least  the  Expression  of  his  Countenance.  Basil  Hall  has 
been  proposing  to  me  to  have  a  Bust  made  from  a  Mask 
taken  by  him  after  Death,  and  from  this  Miniature,  but 
after  seeing  the  Miniature  I  should  not  wish  to  propose 
such  a  thing  to  L^  A.  My  own  picture  of  my  Brother,' 
by  Colvin  Smith,  I  always  liked,  tho'  it  was  not  much 
approved  of  here  in  Edin"",  and  now  I  consider  it  as  a  very 
precious  Relick.  .  .  . 

"  Tuesday,  Sept.  zgth,  1829. — .  .  .  When  in  the  old  Town, 
went  into  the  Royal  Exchange  and  up  the  Stair  of  the  old 
House  in  the  Corner,  where  my  early  days  were  passed.  .  .  . 

"  Monday,  Oct.  12th. — .  .  .  Captain  MacLeod  called,  and  he 
accompanied  me  to  the  Studio  of  Mr.  Angus  Fletcher  in  Fetter 
Row,  for  the  purpose  of  speaking  to  him  about  making  a  Bust 
of  my  late  Brother,  from  the  Mask  taken  after  Death  and  from 
the  Portrait  by  Colvin  Smith  in  my  possession,  which  I  intend 
to  trust  to  my  Sister,  but  Mr.  F.  was  not  at  home.  .  .  ." 

Want  of  space  obliges  us  to  omit  many  passages  of  Mr. 
Arbuthnot's  diary,  which  would  doubtless  have  had  much 
interest  for  his  descendants. 

Mr.  Arbuthnot  was  resident  at  Elderslie  during  the 
troublous  times  preceding  the  passing  of  the  Reform  Bill. 
His  diary  contains  many  allusions  to  the  agitations  with 
which  Surrey,  in  common  with  all  the  counties  of  England, 
was  then  convulsed.  It  is  hterally  the  case  that  the  country 
was  faced  at  that  time  with  the  problem  of  a  starving  popu- 
lation, as  must  be  evident  to  anyone  who  takes  the  trouble 
to  read  the  petitions  sent  up  to  Parhament  from  every 
county  in  England  during  the  course  of  the  year  1830.= 
To   the   working   classes   the   success    or    ill-success    of    the 

■  There  is  a  portrait  of  Sir  William  Arbuthnot  at  Warthill,  and  a  duplicate 
one  is  in  the  possession  of  Sir  Dalrymple  Arbuthnot.  Presumably  the  Warthill 
one  is  the  original,  and  is  the  one  referred  to  here. 

J  A  number  of  these  have  been  summarized  by  the  Rev.  W.  N.  Molesworth 
in  his  Reform  Bill  of  1832,  pp.   78-93. 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       365 

proposed  Reform  Measures  appeared  to  be  a  question  of 
bread  or  no  bread,  and  in  their  distress  and  despair  the 
people  committed  many  violent  acts  as  fatal  to  their  own 
interests  as  to  those  of  the  landed  classes  they  regarded  as 
their  enemies.  No  more  suicidal  method  could  have 
been  chosen  by  them  than  the  systematic  burning  of 
stacks  of  hay  and  corn,  which  soon  became  a  feature 
of  their  demonstrations.  "  Through  twenty-six  counties," 
writes  Mr.  Molesworth,'  "  night  after  night,  the  sky  was  red- 
dened with  the  blaze  of  the  nation's  food  going  up  in 
flame  and  smoke."  There  were  many  disturbing  occur- 
rences in  Surrey.  Hay-ricks  were  burnt,  landowners 
received  threatening  letters,  while  angry  processions  of 
labourers  marched  through  the  villages,  terrorizing  the 
law-abiding  inhabitants.  On  19th  November,  1830,  Mr. 
Arbuthnot  mentions  a  party  of  rioters  who  passed  through 
Ockley  on  their  way  to  Wotton  Rectory,  presumably  to 
smash  the  windows  or  do  other  damage  there."  The  next 
day,  things  were  regarded  as  so  serious  that  a  meeting  of 
magistrates,  of  whom  Mr.  Arbuthnot  was  one,  decided  to 
write  to  London  to  request  that  a  military  force  should 
be  sent  down.  Fifteen  special  constables  were  sworn  in, 
and  a  night  watch  was  set  in  Ockley. 

Some  troops  were  promptly  sent  down  to  Dorking,  but  in 
spite  of  their  presence  some  disorders  took  place  there  on  the 
22nd  November. 3 

Nearly  a  year  later,  in  October  1831,  the  Lords  threw 
out  the  Reform  Bill,  upon  which  popular  indignation  reached 
a  cHmax.  Well  might  Mr.  Arbuthnot  write  :  "  This  will 
make  a  great  sensation  throughout  the  Kingdom,  and  it  is 
to  be  feared  there  may  be  tumult." 

In  the  following  May,  the  King  having  reluctantly  given 
his  consent  to  a  creation  of  peers  for  the  purpose  of  passing 

1  Reform  Bill,  p.   77. 

2  The  Rector  of  Wotton  at  that  time  was  the  Hon.  and  Rev.  John  Evelyn 
Boscawen,  whose  son,  Evelyn,  afterwards  succeeded  an  uncle  as  sixth  Viscount 
Falmouth.  Many  of  the  clergy  shared  the  unpopularity  of  the  landed  proprietors 
during  those  troubled  times,  and  Mr.  Boscawen's  tithes  were  the  subject  of 
complaint  at  a  large  meeting  held  at  Woking  a  few  days  later  (November  25th). 
Information  kindly  communicated  by  Mr.  H.  E.  Maiden,  editor  of  the  \'ictoria 
History  of  the  County  of  Surrey. 

3  See  account  of  these  proceedings  in  the  Diary,  Appendix  VI,  pp.  471-5. 


3G6  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

the  Bill,  the  House  of  Lords  bowed  to  the  inevitable,  and 
the  great  change  which  brought  a  truly  representative  Parlia- 
ment into  being  was  effected  after  a  struggle  of  incredible 
bitterness,  and  scenes  of  violence  unprecedented  in  the 
modern  history  of  our  country.' 

On  i6th  June,  1831,  Mr.  Arbuthnot  describes  a  garden 
party  given  at  Holly  Lodge  by  the  Duchess  of  St.  Albans.' 
He  writes  :  "  Met  there  several  old  acquaintances.  Mrs. 
Hutchinson,  formerly  Mrs.  Frederick  Douglas,  who  introduced 
me  to  her  husband.  Colonel  Hely-Hutchinson  ;  H.R.H.  the 
Duke  of  Sussex  ;  Lady  Charlotte  Lindsay  ;  Lady  Eleanor 
Campbell  ;  Mr.  Greenwood  ;  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Hughes  ; 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  Windham.  Many  entertainments  were 
provided  for  the  occasion.  A  Military  Band  of  Music.  The 
Russian  Horns.'  Michael  Boai,  the  Chin-player,<  and  his 
family.  An  Imitator  of  Birds  and  Beasts,  a  blind  man,  who 
gave  us  the  sounds  of  a  farm  and  poultrj^  yard  in  perfection. 
Sir  George  Smart,  Mad®  Stockhausen  and  several  other  good 
singers,  who  gave  some  fine  Glees  ; — we  were  at  Holly  Lodge 
from  3  till  8  o'clock.  There  was  a  dinner  consisting  of  every- 
thing good.  In  the  Evening,  a  Milch  Cow  was  brought  to  the 
door,  and  whoever  liked  had  a  Syllabub.  In  the  Evening, 
the  Trees  were  lighted  up  with  variegated  lamps,  and  then 
there  was  dancing,  but  as  I  was  a  little  tired  and  feared 
the  Gout,  we  came  off  and  got  home  by  9  o'clock " 

On  Monday,  28th  January,  1833,  being  in  London,  he 
writes  :  "  This  is  the  anniversary  of  the  Birth  of  our  dear 
and  good  little  Boy,  William  Reierson,  seven  years  ago,  and 

'  See  further  extracts  from  George  Arbuthnot's  Diaries,  in  Appendix  VI, 
relating  to  the  Reform   Bill  agitations  and  proceedings  in  Parliament. 

>  This  was  Harriot  Mellon,  the  actress,  who  had  been  previously  married  to 
Thomas  Coutts,  founder  of  the  firm  of  Coutts  and  Co.  On  his  death  in  1S22  Mr. 
Coutts  left  his  vast  fortune  to  his  widow  absolutely,  and  live  years  later  she  married 
the  ninth  Duke  of  St.  Albans.  The  Duchess,  who  died  in  1837,  very  honourably 
returned  the  Coutts  fortune  to  her  first  husband's  family,  her  heiress  being  Angela 
Georgina  Burdett.  a  grand-daughter  of  Thomas  Coutts,  and  afterwards  the 
Baroness  Burdett-Coutts. 

3  The  Morning  Post  account  of  the  Duchess  of  St.  Alban's  party  states  that 
it  "  commenced  with  the  performance  of  the  celebrated  Russian  Horn  Band, 
playing  in  the  woods,  the  effect  of  which  was  beyond  description  delightful." — 
Morning  Post,   June   18,   1831. 

4  This  individual  probably  entertained  the  company  by  balancing  balls, 
sticks,  or  other  objects  on  his  chin.  The  Morning  Post  describes  him  as  the 
"  Chin-performer." 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       367 

it  is  the  day  of  the  birth  of  a  Daughter  at  20  minutes  past 
one  o'clock  this  morning.  .  .  ."  ' 

On  Monday,  4th  March,  1833,  Mr.  Arbuthnot  writes  : 
"  The  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  my  excellent  wife,  who  drew 
her  first  breath  in  the  year  1792,  at  Inverness.  She  came  to 
Madras  in  1807,  and,  on  the  26th  of  April,  1810,  was  united  to 
me.  She  has  given  birth  to  13  children,  of  whom  eleven  are 
now  alive,  the  eldest  near  21  years  old,  the  youngest  little 
more  than  a  month." 

Just  at  this  time  an  interesting  family  event  took  place. 
This  was  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Arbuthnot's  eldest  daughter, 
Mary,  to  her  first  cousin,  John  Alves  Arbuthnot,  second  son 
of  Sir  William  Arbuthnot,  first  Baronet.  This  event  took  place 
at  Marylebone  Parish  Church,  2nd  June,  1832.  Mr.  Arbuthnot 
writes  :  "  Mary  behaved  admirably,  for,  altho'  a  good  deal 
agitated,  she  commanded  her  attention  to  the  Ceremony  and 
pronounced  the  Responses  distinctly  and  firmly. — After  the 
Ceremony  and  signing  the  Register,  I  conducted  my  Daughter 
to  her  Carriage,  in  which  the  Bridegroom  went  with  her,  and 
all  the  Company  followed  to  our  House,  where  we  had  a  Break- 
fast, provided  by  Ingram.  This  lasted  till  3  o'clock,  when 
John  and  Mary  set  off  for  Silwood  Lodge,  Sunninghill,  and  the 
Company  dispersed.  Among  the  friends  who  attended  the 
Ceremony,  were  Vise*  Arbuthnott,  Lady  A.  and  her  2  Daughters 
and  Son  Henry,'  Mr.  Alves  and  his  nephew  Duncan,  my 
sister,  Lady  H.,'  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Guthrie,  Sir  John  Fitzgerald 
and  his  daughter  Charlotte,  Lady  Anstruther  and  her  three 
daughters,  .  .  .  Mrs.  Ord  and  the  three  Miss  Agnews,  Sir 
Coutts  Trotter  and  Alexander,  Sir  John  and  Lady  Buchan, 
.  .  .  Col.  Vans  Agnew  and  his  son  Robert." 

"  Denbies,^  Tuesday,  Dec'  4th,  1832. — This  day  completes 
the  period  of  Three  Score  Years  of  my  Existence.     I  was  born 

'  This  was  Eleanor  Louisa,  afterwards  heroine  of  the  extraordinary  incident 
known  as  the  "  Arbuthnot  Abduction  Case." — See  pp.  387-420. 

'  George  Arbuthnot's  sister-in-law,  Lady  Arbuthnot,  widow  of  his  eldest 
brother,  and  the  bridegroom's  mother,  her  two  surviving  daughters,  Mary  and 
Anne,  and  her  son  Henry  Dundas  Arbuthnot.  3  Lady  Hunter. 

4  Denbies,  overlooking  Dorking,  at  this  time  belonged  to  Mr.  William  Joseph 
Denison,  M.P.  for  West  Surrey,  whose  father,  Joseph  Denison,  had  bought  it  in 
1787.  After  Mr.  W.  J.  Denison's  death  in  1849,  the  estate  was  bought  by  Mr. 
Thomas  Cubitt,  whose  grandson,  the  present  Lord  Ashcombe,  Lord-Lieutenant 
of  Surrey,  now  owns  it. 


368  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

in  the  Old  Town  of  Edinburgh,  the  4th  Dec'',  1772,  the  youngest 
of  seven  children,  of  whom  only  my  Sister  Bess  and  I  remain 
in  Life.  At  starting,  my  prospects  were  far  from  brilliant, 
yet  I  have  met  with  good  success,  and  am  now  in  circumstances 
and  in  a  station  much  beyond  my  deserts,  or  what  I  had  any 
reason  to  expect.  Above  all,  I  am  blessed  with  a  virtuous 
and  sensible  wife,  and  with  promising  children.  My  first- 
born and  much  beloved  Mary  has  united  herself  to  a  man  of 
such  sterling  worth  as  is  likely  not  only  to  be  a  happy  lot  to 
her,  but  to  be  a  blessing  to  all  connected  with  him.  May 
God  grant  me  grace  duly  to  feel  these  mercies  and  amend  my 
way  of  Life,  as  the  age  at  which  I  have  now  arrived  reminds 
me  that  Life  draws  towards  a  close.  May  my  eldest  Boy, 
my  very  dear  George,  who  is  just  emerging  from  Infancy  to 
Manhood,  keep  in  the  path  of  virtue  and  honour.  May  he 
always  be  able  to  govern  his  temper  and  his  passions,  and  may 
he  be  happy  !  May  his  good  conduct  serve  as  an  example 
to  his  Brothers,  and  may  he  be  disposed  to  give  them  a  helping 
hand  in  their  prospects.  .  .  ." 

Two  years  later  Mr.  Arbuthnot  had  the  great  grief  of  losing 
his  wife.  She  died  in  London,  29th  September,  1834.  Mr. 
Arbuthnot  was  in  Paris  with  his  son  Coutts  when  he  learnt 
of  her  illness.  Hastening  home,  he  reached  Wimpole  Street 
only  to  find  that  all  was  over.  The  shock  was  a  terrible  one, 
after  their  twenty-four  years  of  happy  married  life.  "  My 
dear  Sister,  L^  H.,  came  to  me  immediately,"  he  writes,  "  it 
was  she  who  had  attended  her  in  her  last  moments,  and  she 
bore  testimony  of  her  quiet  and  placid  behaviour.  .  .  .  Thus 
I  am  left  with  ten  children  (I  do  not  include  my  dear  Mary) 
to  train  up  and  provide  for.  God  has  given  me  the  means  of 
provision,  and  oh,  may  He  grant  me  grace  and  wisdom  to 
perform  my  duty  in  this  important  charge  in  a  befitting  manner, 
so  that  these  dear  Children  may  be  brought  up  in  the  nurture 
and  fear  of  the  Lord,  in  kindly  feelings  towards  each  other  and 
their  neighbours  generally  and  in  habits  of  activity  and  industry 
for  their  ordinary  employments  !  This  I  am  persuaded  would 
have  been  the  prayer  of  my  Eliza,  had  she  been  the  survivor." 

The  funeral  of  Mrs.  George  Arbuthnot  took  place  at  Ockley 
on   the    9th    October,    1834.     Mr.    Arbuthnot    writes :     "  At 


GEORGE  ARBUTHNOT  OF  ELDERSLIE   369 

2  o'clock,  the  Service  (which  was  read  by  our  attached  friend, 
Mr.  Cook,'  the  Rector)  was  concluded,  and  all  that  remained 
in  this  world  of  my  dearest  Companion  was  deposited  in  the 
Vault  prepared  for  her  and  for  myself  and  other  Members 
of  my  Family,  when  it  shall  please  the  Lord  to  take  us  hence. 
My  dear  Sister,  who  has  on  this  sad  occasion  as  on  others, 
acted  the  part  of  a  kind  Mother  to  my  Children,  I  have  told 
that,  if  agreeable  to  her  feelings,  shall  also  lie  there  and  sleep 
with  my  Eliza  and  me.  .   .   ."  ' 

On  17th  October  Mr.  Arbuthnot  writes  sadly  :  "  Every 
morning  I  awake  at  a  very  early  hour,  long  before  the  day 
hghts,  and  then  my  thoughts  are  sad  and  melancholy,  for 
I  cannot  help  turning  them  to  the  altered  circumstances  in 
which  alas  !  I  now  find  myself.  I  have  lost  more  than  half 
myself, — she  was  my  oracle,— she  was  the  staff  on  which  I 
leant.  In  these  melancholy  moments,  I  have  recourse  to 
prayer.  I  pray  for  resignation,  I  pray  for  strength  of  mind 
to  bear  up  against  despair  and  for  fortitude  to  do  my  duty 
as  becomes  the  Father  of  a  Family  ;  and  I  pray  that  my  heart 
may  be  so  far  weaned  from  the  world  as  not  to  be  over  anxious 
about  my  worldly  concerns,  and  that  I  may  have  an  easy 
mind  and  an  entire  rehance  on  the  Wisdom  and  Goodness  of 
God,  let  happen  what  will.  These  prayers  and  reflexions 
soothe  and  tranquillize  my  mind  till  6  o'clock,  when  I  leave  my 
bed,  and  I  awake  my  twins  at  7.  The  Society  of  my  Children 
and  of  my  excellent  Sister,  with  ordinary  occupations  connected 
with  the  House,  employ  me  during  the  day  and  make  the  time 
pass  chearfully  enough.  On  the  whole,  I  feel  that  my  Situation 
is  far  happier  than  many  a  one  who  has  been  left  a  widower, 
that  I  ought  to  be  thankful  for  the  happy  period  of  24  years 
of  my  married  life,  blessed  as  I  am  in  the  knowledge  that  my 
Eliza  considered  herself  a  happy  wife  !  God  has  seen  fit  in 
His  Wisdom  and  Mercy  to  dissolve  our  Union,  and  take  my 
Eliza  first  ;  but  He  has  left  me  many  Blessings,  for  which  I 
ought  to  be  humbly  thankful  in  the  meantime,  yet  ready  to 
relinquish  them  if  it  should  be  His  Holy  Will  to  withdraw  them, 

'  The  Rev.  John  Cook,  who  had  been  Rector  of  Ockley  since  1817. 

=  Lady  Hunter  predeceased  her  brother  and,  dying  in  1841,  was  interred  in 
the  family  vault  at  Ockley.  There  is  a  tablet  to  her  memory  on  the  south  wall 
of  the  church. 

24 


370  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

and  ready  with  chearfulness  to  lay  down  my  Life  itself  when 
the  Lord  shall  call.  ..." 

On  22nd  October,  1835,  he  writes  :  "  This  day,  in  the 
year  1816,  were  born  in  Queen  Street,  Edin,'  my  two  dear 
Girls,  the  Twins  !  The  event  is  present  to  my  mind  as  if  it 
had  happened  yesterday.  How  happy  was  my  lot  at  that 
period  !  I  had  recently  returned  from  India,  accompanied  by 
my  beloved  Wife  and  my  eldest  Children,  Mary  and  George. 
My  venerable  Mother  and  excellent  Sister  Jane  were  alive, 
and  my  twins  first  saw  the  light  in  their  Grandmother's 
house, — a  chearful  and  a  happy  house  it  was  !  The  glad 
tidings  of  the  safety  of  my  Eliza  and  the  birth  of  her  two 
Babes  was  conveyed  to  me  at  7  in  the  morning  by  my  good 
Mother-in-law,  Mrs.  Macleod,  who  came  to  my  temporary 
lodgings  in  Frederick  Street." 

Writing  on  18th  January,  1836,  Mr.  Arbuthnot  describes 
a  quarrel  between  his  two  boys,  Coutts  and  John,  as  follows  : 
"  Last  Saturday  these  two  boys  had  a  fracas  when  at  their 
lesson  in  Arithmetic,  which  led  to  the  discovery  that  Johnnie 
is  passionate  and  in  his  heat  might  commit  a  rash  action  ; 
on  this  occasion  he  threw  at  his  brother  a  case  of  Mathematical 
Instruments,  which  might  have  hurt  him  much,  but,  fortunately, 
instead  of  Coutts'  head,  it  hit  the  schoolroom  window  and, 
going  through,  fell  on  the  leads  of  Sir  W.  Y's.  yard.  This 
propensity  of  Master  Johnnie  must  be  checked,  and  I  began 
to  do  so  by  causing  him  in  Mr.  Russell's  presence  to  make  an 
apology  to  his  Brother.  In  defending  his  conduct  to  me, 
Johnnie  said  that  Coutts  took  delight  in  tyrannizing  over  him 
and  often  maltreating  him  ; — in  reply  to  which,  I  reminded 
J.  that  C.  was  his  Elder,  and  that  however  wrong  he  might 
be  in  such  conduct,  it  was  the  Duty  of  the  Younger  to 
submit.  .  .  ." 

In  September,  1836,  Mr.  Arbuthnot  was  in  Scotland, 
and  paid  a  visit  to  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  John  Eraser, 
who  was  then  living  at  Cromarty  House.  This  visit  was 
specially  interesting  to  him,  as  the  Cromarty  property  had 
formerly  belonged  to  his  maternal  grandfather,  Captain  John 
Urquhart  of  Craigston  and  Cromarty,  and  had  of  course 
been  familiar  to  his  mother,  Mary  Urquhart,  in  her 
youth. 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       371 

On  Tuesday,  13th  September,  he  writes  :  "  At  9  a.m., 
we  found  ourselves  established  in  Cromarty  Ho.,  with  my 
children's  good  Grandmother  '  and  her  husband,  the  worthy 
Captain,  and  my  very  dear  Brother-in-law,  now  doing  the 
honours  of  the  Castle  ! — a  variety  of  sensations  came  over  my 
mind  on  this  occasion.  My  former  visit  to  the  place  in  1826, 
when  accompanied  by  my  best  beloved  upon  Earth,  and 
conducted  by  the  same  dear  John  Fraser,  then  a  Youth, 
training  up  to  business  at  Inverness,  now,  by  the  favour  of 
Providence  on  his  industry,  a  man  of  affluent  fortune,  of  which 
he  is  making  the  most  benevolent  and  generous  use.  In  him, 
his  good  Mother  in  the  first  place,  me  and  my  Children  in  the 
next,  and  all  in  any  degree  connected  with  him,  are  truly 
blessed.  After  walking  round  the  doors  with  J.  F.,  and 
taking  a  look  at  the  Site  of  the  old  Castle,  ascertained  by  the 
Well,  and  at  the  ruins  of  the  Chapel  of  St.  Regulus  with  its 
Burying-ground,  of  which  my  dear  Mother  used  to  speak  to 
me  in  my  early  days,  as  the  scenes  of  her  Youth, — for  she 
resided  here  with  her  Father  and  Mother  till  she  was  about 
10  years  of  age — we  all  salhed  forth  on  a  walk  to  the  extremity 
of  the  Suitor,'  or  Western  portal  of  the  beautiful  Bay  ;  the 
distance  is,  I  think,  from  one  to  two  miles,  and  almost  the 
whole  of  it  is  through  a  grove  of  lime  trees, — the  path,  a  carpet 
of  the  softest,  greenest  moss,  with  ever  varying  views  of  the 
opposite  shores  of  Ross-shire  and  Moray.  ..." 

"  Cromarty  House,  Wednesday,  September  14th,  1836. — 
I  rose  soon  after  5  o'clock.  Took  a  second  look  at  the  burying- 
ground  of  St.  Regulus.  There  is,  close  to  the  ruins  of  the  Chapel 
or  under  some  part  of  what  was  the  Chapel,  a  Vault  of  consider- 
able size,  which  I  can  imagine  to  have  been  the  burying  place 
of  my  Grandfather's  family,  but  from  the  long  absence  of  a 
Proprietor  to  guard  the  Relicks  of  the  Dead,  the  spot  had  been 
spoiled  and  demolished  by  the  Country  people,  and  is  now  in 
a  most  delapidated  and  degraded  state,  but  its  position  and 
the  points  of  view  from  it  are  exceedingly  fine.     It  forms  quite 

■  Mrs.  Donald  Fraser,  nde  Mary  Ord,  had  married  secondly  Captain 
MacLeod.  From  her  first  marriage  descends  Mr.  Robert  Fraser-Mackenzie  of 
Allangrange. 

•  The  North  and  South  Sutors  are  two  picturesque  and  highly  precipitous 
rocks  guarding  the  entrance  to  the  Cromarty  Firth. 


372  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

a  pendant  to  the  green  platform  on  which  the  old  Castle  of 
Cromarty  stood,  and  was  no  doubt  the  place  of  worship  of 
Captain  Urquhart  and  his  family, — their  place  of  worship  while 
living  and  of  sepulture  when  dead.  I  found  in  the  burying 
ground  at  some  distance  from  the  Chapel  a  double  Grave-stone 
richly  carved  and  containing  both  inscriptions  and  emblematical 
devices.  One  inscription  which  I  managed  to  copy  was  as 
follows  :  '  Stones  belonging  to  Samuel  Urquhart,  who  de- 
partit  the  15th  February,  1700,  and  his  spouse  Agnes  WiUiam- 
son,   who   departit   the   2nd   November,    1711. — S.U.,   A.W.' 

In  death  no  difference  is  made. 
Betwixt  the  Sceptre  and  the  Spade. 

Then  comes  an  engraving  of  these  Emblems  of  the  Highborn 
and  the  Humble,  in  the  form  of  a  St.  Andrew's  Cross,  and  on 
the  other  Stone  the  following  inscription  forms  the  border  : 

The  hfe  of  man's  a  roHing  stone, 
Moved  to  and  fro  and  quickly  gone  ; 
Think  every  day  to  be  thy  last. 
And  when  night  comes  thy  life  is  past. 

From  the  workmanship  of  this  Monument,  it  would  seem  that 
Sam^  Urquhart  and  his  spouse  must  have  been  persons  of 
birth  and  station.  Perhaps  he  might  be  a  brother  of  the 
Spanish  Captain,  for  my  Grandfather  acquired  his  fortune, 
whatever  it  might  be,  by  navigating  a  ship  in  the  service  of 
his  Catholic  Majesty.  .  .  . 

"  Cromarty,  Saturday,  September  16th,  1836. — Rose  at  6,  and 
at  8  walked  out  with  J.  F.  and  Anne.  We  took  the  direction 
of  our  Suitor,  and,  keeping  to  a  pathway  through  the  Woods, 
lower  than  when  we  last  took  the  same  tour,  we  reached 
a  spot  called  the  Green  Point,  a  jutting  knoll  of  the  softest 
grass,  close  to  the  side  of  a  great  hollow  in  the  hill,  faced  with 
rock  and  precipitously  overhanging  the  Sea, — a  most  interesting 
spot,  and  the  more  interesting  to  me  as  I  let  my  imagination 
have  scope  and,  going  back  about  90  Years,  I  could  see  my 
Grandfather  taking  his  walk  here  with  my  Mother,  a  girl  of 
7  years  old,  in  his  hand,  who  he  was  amusing  by  the  relation 
of  his  adventures  at  Sea  when  saihng  to  the  Philippines, 
or  else  instructing  her  in  those  lessons  of  piety  which  she, 


Lady   Lenox-Conyngha 


(nee  ArbuthnotI,  wife  of  Sir  WUli: 
of  Spring  Hill,  Moneymore. 


Lenox-Conyngha 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       373 

venerated  woman,  put  so  much  in  practice  in  after  life,  and 
which  she  has  often  said  to  me  she  derived  from  the  instruction 
and  example  of  her  worthy  Father.  ..." 

After  this  visit  Mr.  Arbuthnot  went  on  to  Strathpeffer, 
where,  on  the  22nd  September,  he  notes  that  "  The  Season  for 
the  Waters  is  over  and  there  remain  only  a  few  Stragglers. 
One  of  these  is  Lord  Castlereagh,  who  inhabits  Castle  Leod, 
and  has  with  him  the  Hon"'  Mr.  Fitzroy."  He  refers 
to  "  Dr.  Morison's  house,  now  the  property  of  John  Gladstone, 
and  for  sale.  .  .  .  Fine  portrait  of  Dr.  Morison  in  the  Pump 
Room,  by  an  Edinburgh  artist, — probably  Raeburn.  After 
breakfast,  we  set  off  in  the  carriage  to  see  a  little  more  of  the 
Country,  and  a  delightful  round, — we  directed  our  Course  by 
the  way  of  Coul  and  Contin,  up  Strathconon  as  far  as  the  Fall 
of  Rogie,^  where  we  quitted  our  vehicle  and  the  high  road  in 
order  to  get  a  better  view  of  the  Cascade,  and  this  we  attained 
by  crossing  the  Conon  by  a  rustic  footpath  bridge  a  little  below 
the  Fall.  It  is  not  high,  but  comes  down  in  several  Streams, 
very  beautifully  and  with  considerable  force.  The  Country 
around  this  charming  River  Conon  is  one  Grove  of  Birch  trees, 
many  of  them  of  great  size  and  of  the  weeping  kind, — these 
form  the  foreground  of  the  scene.  Behind,  at  some  miles 
distance,  are  Mountains,  one  of  which  was  capped  with  Snow. 
After  describing  Craigdarroch,  "  a  pretty-looking  house,  beauti- 
fully situated  at  foot  of  a  finely  wooded  hill,"  he  continues  : 
"  We  made  our  return  to  Strathpeffer  by  Brahan  Castle, 
where  we  called  on  the  Hon"'  Mrs.  Stewart-Mackenzie.  She 
was  not  at  home,  but  being  invited  by  her  very  civil  and  well- 
mannered  servant  to  enter  and  rest,  we  went  in  and  looked  at 
the  house  and  the  pictures,  which  last  are  interesting,  and  are 
mostly  contained  in  a  large  Hall  built  since  I  was  last  here. 
The  principal  painting  is  a  piece  done  by  the  late  Benjamin 
West  at  the  desire  of  Lord  Seaforth,  and  represents  the  origin 
of  the  grant  by  King  James  VI  (?  Alexander  III)  of  Scotland, 
of  the  Kabrafea  or  Stag's  Head  to  the  Clan  of  Mackenzie. 
The  King,  when  taking  the  sport  of  the  field  and  pursuing 
a  deer  of  extraordinary  size  and  strength,  which  had  been 

'  The  Falls  of  Rogie  are  actually  on  the  Blackwater  River,  at  some  distance 
above  its  junction  with  the  Conon. 


374  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

brought  to  bay,  had  been  too  much  for  His  Majesty, — had 
thrown  him  down  and  put  him  in  danger  of  his  life,  when,  by 
the  courage  and  address  of  Kenneth  Mackenzie,  the  ancestor 
of  the  Seaforth  family,  the  King  is  saved  and  rewards  the 
champion  by  a  R'  Grant  of  lands  and  Honours. — There  is  a 
fine  full-length  portrait  of  the  late  Lord  in  the  Uniform  of  the 
78th  Reg'  of  Highlanders.  One  of  his  Daughter,  the  present 
Lady  of  the  Castle,  and  one  of  her  relation,  the  '  Man  of  Feeling,' 
as  Mr.  Henry  Mackenzie  was  called.  Both  these,  I  should 
think,  are  the  work  of  Raeburn.  Further  in  the  small  drawing- 
room  adjoining  the  hall  a  fine  portrait  of  Cardinal  Richelieu. 
— These  are  all  I  have  time  to  mention  here,  but  there  are  many 
other  interesting  features  in  Brahan  Castle.  .  .  ." 

From  Strathpeffer,  Mr.  Arbuthnot  went  on  to  Craigston 
Castle,  Aberdeenshire,  to  pay  a  visit  to  his  cousins,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  William  Urquhart.  Rising  at  4  a.m.,  the  party  took 
their  places  in  the  "  Defiance  "  coach, — Mr.  Arbuthnot  noting 
"  the  rapid  driving,  quite  equal  to  Robert  of  Horsham," — 
and  breakfasted  at  Forres, — "  such  a  breakfast !  charged 
1/9  a-head.  Fish — Game — Mutton  Chops — 3  or  4  kinds  of 
bread.  Eggs,  etc.,  and  rich  cream  to  our  Tea."  They  reached 
Craigston  at  7  p.m.,  and  were  "  kindly  rec*^  by  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Urquhart  and  their  young  Daughter,  Mary  Bell,'  aged  10 
years,  a  very  sweet  and  clever  little  girl. 

"  Craigston,  Wednesday,  September  28th,  1836. — The 
weather,  unfortunately  for  us,  was  thick  and  damp,  so  that 
there  was  little  pleasure  in  going  out  of  doors  ;  but  inside,  the 
atmosphere  one  breathes  is  warm  and  comfortable,  the  interior 
arrangements  being  much  altered  and  improved  since  I  was 
last  its  visitor.  The  Library  remains  as  it  was,  and  I  spent  an 
hour  or  two  in  it,  looking  at  the  Spanish,  Itahan,  French  and 
EngHsh  Books  of  my  Grandfather  and  Uncle.  Nothing  appears 
to  have  been  added  by  the  two  last  proprietors.'  ..." 

Mr.  Arbuthnot  went  on  to  Aberdeen,  where  he  visited  Maris- 
chal  College  and  also  the  house  in  which  Lord  Byron  passed 

I  This  was  Mary  Isabella  Urquhart,  heiress  of  Craigston,  through  whom  the 
estate  passed  to  the  Pollard  family. — See  p.  292. 

»  These  were  John  Urquhart  of  Craigston  and  his  father,  William  Urquhart. 
The  latter  was  the  eldest  son  of  Captain  John  Urquhart,  and  was  therefore  uncle 
to  George  Arbuthnot. 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       375 

a  few  years  in  his  youth.  On  ist  October,  he  writes  :  "  We 
had  the  luck  to  fall  in  with  a  Gentleman  who  told  us  he  had 
been  opposite  neighbour  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Byron  Gordon,  and 
had  been  in  the  frequent  habit  of  walking  hand  in  hand  with 
young  George,  who,  if  unaccompanied  in  the  Street,  kept  his 
Mother  in  a  fever  of  anxiety  lest  he  should  be  rode  over  by 
horse  or  cart.  .   .   ." 

From  Aberdeen  Mr.  Arbuthnot  went  on  to  Arbuthnott 
House,  Kincardineshire,  having  written  to  propose  a  visit  to 
Lord  Arbuthnott.  He  describes  crossing  the  Bridge  of  Dee 
in  the  rain,  passing  the  Cemetery  of  Fetteresso  and  the  ruins 
of  Dunnottar,  "  where  the  rain  poured  heavily."  They  changed 
horses  at  Stonehaven  and  "  came  on  lo  miles  more  to  Arbuth- 
nott House,  in  the  Parish  of  Arbuthnott  and  County  of  Kin- 
cardine.— The  rain  continued  to  pour  throughout  the  day,  so 
that  we  had  no  inducement  to  stir  out  of  doors.  The  Viscount 
was  absent  with  his  eldest  son,  at  Mar  Lodge.  We  were 
received  by  his  Brother,  General  Hugh,  by  the  Viscountess 
and  ...  of  her  daughters  and  two  sons,  David  and  WilHam, 
both  schoolboys.  Besides  the  immediate  members  of  the 
family,  there  were  two  nieces  of  Lady  Arbuthnott,  the  Lady 
Jane  and  the  Lady  Clementina  Ogilvie,  Daughters  of  the  Earl 
of  Airhe.  Our  reception  by  Lady  A.  was  kind  and  hospitable, 
her  manners  affable  yet  dignified,  her  conversation  sensible, 
plain  and  pleasant.  At  dinner  we  had,  in  addition  to  the  above- 
named,  Mr.  Traill,  the  Tutor,  so  that  we  sat  down  to  Table  12 
persons.  In  the  evening  the  Young  People  amused  themselves 
at  Chess,  Drafts  and  Backgammon,  and  Miss  Margaret,  the 
eldest  Daughter,  played  the  piano,  which  she  did  very  well.  .  .  ." 

"  Arbuthnott  House,  Sunday,  Oct.  2nd,  1836. — The  morn- 
ing fair,  and  hopes  of  a  change  of  weather  with  the  new  quarter 
of  the  moon,  but  the  wind  is  from  the  S.W.,  and  that  prognos- 
ticates rain,  which  began,  accordingly,  between  one  and  two 
o'clock,  and  continued  the  remainder  of  the  day. — Walked 
to  the  Parish  Church  with  the  Viscountess  and  several  of  the 
Ladies,  where  Mr.  Traill  officiated  in  the  place  of  the  Parish 
Minister,  whose  health  is  infirm.   .  .  ." 

From  Arbuthnott  House  Mr.  Arbuthnot  and  his  party 
went  on  to  Fasque,  to  pay  a  visit  to  Mr.   (afterwards  Sir) 


376  MEIMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

John  Gladstone.  On  3rd  October,  he  writes  :  After  breakfast 
took  leave  of  the  Viscountess,  the  General  &c.,  and  started 
for  Fasque,  passing  through  Laurencekirk  and  Fettercairn. 
The  distance  from  one  House  to  the  other, — 12  miles.  This 
is  an  estate  purchased  a  few  years  ago  by  Mr.  Gladstone  from  Sir 
Alex''  Ramsay  and  is  a  fine  property  of  6,000  acres,  half  arable, 
half  hill  and  moorland,  with  a  great  deal  of  fine  old  Timber, 
chiefly  Beeches  and  some  magnificent  spruce  firs  and  larches. 
Near  the  door  of  the  house,  there  is  a  Holly  tree,  the  largest 
I  ever  saw,  and  which  must  be  of  great  age.  The  House  is 
quite  a  Palace,  and  fitted  up  in  the  most  beautiful  and  costly 
manner.  The  Entrance  Hall  and  Double  circular  stair,  leading 
to  the  Drawingrooms,  Library  and  Conservatory,  are  finely 
formed  and  display  an  admirable  taste, — which  Miss  Gladstone 
told  me  was  that  of  Lady  Ramsay.  The  rooms  are  all  of  great 
dimensions  and  their  number  considerable.  The  building  is 
said  to  have  cost  £30,000.  .  .  .  We  found  Mr.  G.  and  his  Daughter 
Helen,  she  performing  in  a  most  becoming  manner  the  office 
of  Mistress  of  the  Mansion,  in  the  absence  of  her  worthy  Mother 
who  is  gone  to  her  rest."  Mr.  Arbuthnot  mentions  :  "  The 
four  sons  of  Mr.  G.,  Thomas  and  his  Lady,  Robertson  and 
his  Lady,  John  (a  L*  in  R.N.)  and  Wilham  Ewart,  M.P.  for 
Newark  and  some  time  ago  Under  Secretary  of  State.  .  .  ." ' 
After  enumerating  some  of  the  house-party,  Mr.  Arbuthnot 
states  that  there  were  also  present  at  dinner  "  Three  of  the 
Young  Ladies  we  had  left  at  Arbuthnott,  Lady  Jane  and  Lady 
Clementina  Ogilvie  and  the  Hon"''  Miss  Clementina  Arbuthnott, 
in  all  16.  Mr.  Robertson  and  Mr.  Wilham  Gladstone  being 
unwell,  did  not  make  their  appearance  till  after  dinner.  ..." 
"  Fasque,  Tuesday,  Oct.  4^/?.— Mr.  Gladstone  and  family 
took  us  an  excursion  to  the  Burn,  about  5  miles  off.  The 
North  Esk  is  at  this  place  a  Mountain  Stream,  rushing  through 
among  the  Rocks  and,  being  full  of  water,  was  extremely 
fine."  Speaking  of  his  host,  Mr.  Gladstone,  Mr.  Arbuthnot 
writes  :    "  As  he  took  me  in  his  one  horse  chaise,  I  was  Ute-ct- 

'  Mr.  Gladstone  had  represented  Newark  since  1832,  having  been  returned 

as  a  Conservative  to  the  first  Parhament  elected  after  the  passing  of  the  Reform 
Bill.  He  had  been  appointed  by  Sir  Robert  Peel  Under-Secretary  of  State  for 
the  Colonies  the  year  previous  to  Mr.  Arbuthnot's  visit,  but  was  out  of  office  at 
this  time,  Peel's  ministry  having  been  succeeded  by  Lord  Melbourne's  in 
April,   1835. 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       377 

iSte  with  him  most  of  the  time  and  had  thus  a  fine  opportunity 
of  Hstening  to  his  conversation,  which  I  found  highly  instructive 
and  interesting  ; — his  age  is  72,  he  has  the  infirmities  of  defective 
sight  and  defective  hearing  ;  nevertheless,  he  is  about  the 
most  energetic  man  in  body  and  mind  that  I  have  ever  met 
with. — He  has  been  the  maker  of  his  own  fortune,  and  there 
is  every  reason  to  believe  it  is  colossal.  He  has  a  strong  and 
most  clear  memory  and  a  mind  most  expansive.  His  views 
in  politics  are  quite  Conservative,  but  not  bigot edly  so. 
He  was  on  terms  of  friendship  with  Canning  and  Huskisson, 
and  one  of  his  most  intimate  and  esteemed  friends  now  in 
Hfe  is  Kirkman  Finlay.  Portraits  of  all  the  three  and  also 
of  the  late  Mr.  William  Ewart  of  Liverpool  are  in  the  dining- 
room  here.  Of  Mr.  Gladstone  himself  and  of  his  late  excellent 
wife,  there  are  portraits  in  the  same  apartment,  and  in  the 
Library  there  is  a  marble  bust  of  him  by  Macdonald,  a  strong 
resemblance  and  a  pleasing  one,  which  is  not  the  case  with 
the  picture  by  Graham." 

After  a  visit  to  Anniston  in  Forfarshire  Mr.  Arbuthnot 
proceeded  southwards  by  slow  stages  and  reached  Elderslie 
towards  the  end  of  October. 

In  the  course  of  the  following  year,  1837,  he  refers  many 
times  to  the  extreme  delicacy  of  his  daughter,  Catherine, 
who  had  "  very  much  outgrown  her  strength."  The  doctor 
had  ordered  a  nourishing  diet,  but  on  i6th  June,  Mr.  Arbuth- 
not notes  that  "  She  does  not  mend,  and  I  have  sometimes 
anxious  feelings  about  the  dear,  sweet  Girl." 

On  20th  June,  1837,  M^-  Arbuthnot  writes  :  "  The  Morn- 
ing Newspapers  announced  the  death  of  the  King,  which  took 
place  at  Windsor  at  2  a.m.  WilUam  IV  was  aged  72  Y"^  and 
10  M'  and  had  reigned  7  Years.  He  is  succeeded  by  his  Niece 
Victoria,  Daughter  of  the  late  Duke  of  Kent,  and  who  attained 
her  age  of  Majority  or  18  Years  on  the  24th  of  last  Month, 
so  that  she  is  now  called  upon  to  reign  with  all  the  powers 
which  the  Law  can  grant. 

"  Wednesday,  21st. — This  day  at  Noon  the  Princess  Victoria 
was  proclaimed  Queen  in  the  usual  form,  and,  being  waited 
on  at  Kensington  by  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  and  all 
the  Officers  of  the  Crown,  with  Privy  Councillors  and  many 


378  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

others,  Her  Youthful  Majesty  made  them  a  speech  and 
conducted  herself  in  a  manner  which  excited  general 
admiration." 

Later  entries  in  this  and  the  following  month  contain 
frequent  references  to  the  ill-health  of  his  daughter  Catherine. 
She  was  taken  to  see  Sir  James  Clark,  whose  waiting-room 
was  so  crowded  that  the  child  waited  four  hours  in  vain  one 
morning  and  had  to  be  brought  away  without  seeing  him. 
The  following  day  he  saw  her,  and  at  once  diagnosed  the 
case  as  critical.  He  directed  that  she  should  be  taken  down 
to  Elderslie  in  the  care  of  a  nurse  who  had  attended  her  from 
infancy,  and  placed  in  charge  of  the  Dorking  doctor.  From 
this  time,  "  Cassy,"  as  her  father  calls  her,  seems  to  have 
gradually  weakened.  On  the  12th  of  July,  her  despairing 
father,  before  starting  for  London,  went  to  say  good-bye 
to  her,  and  records  that  she  "  looked  me  in  the  face  with  her 
sweet  smile,  but  did  not  speak."  On  14th  July,  having  returned 
to  Elderslie,  he  writes  :  "  My  poor  Cassy  has  passed  a  restless, 
feverish  night,  her  respiration  short  and  difficult,  and  she 
appears  to  be  gradually  losing  the  little  strength  left  her.  My 
hope  of  her  recovery  grows  fainter  day  by  day,  but  she  is  in 
God's  hands,  who  knows  best  what  is  good  for  her  and  for  all 
of  us.  If  it  be  the  Will  of  the  Almighty  to  take  my  Child,  I 
beseech  Him  to  be  merciful  to  her  and  to  grant  to  me  Resigna- 
tion to  his  Holy  Will.  I  am  most  ardently  attached  to  this 
Child,  for  her  disposition  is  of  the  most  delightful  description  ; 
let  me  therefore  consider,  Oh  Lord,  that  she  is  the  better 
fitted  for  the  Change,  should  it  be  Thy  resolve  to  take  her 
hence  ! — but  if  it  be  Thy  gracious  Will  to  spare  her  to  me 
and  to  my  family.  Oh,  may  she  so  grow  in  grace  and  in  Thy 
Service,  Oh  Lord,  as  to  become  an  instrument  of  good  to 
others.  ..." 

On  nth  August  he  writes  :  "  This  morning  I  walked  out 
early  with  my  Twins,  when  we  had  much  conversation  about 
the  dear  Invalid  who  occupies  our  thoughts  at  present,  and 
I  endeavoured  to  prepare  these  affectionate  Sisters  for  that 
termination  of  this  Malady  which  I  cannot  help  fearing  is 
too  probable.  I  desired  them  to  put  their  trust  in  God,  and  at 
the  same  time  keep  up  their  spirits,  so  as  to  enable  them 


GEORGE  ARBUTHNOT  OF  ELDERSLIE   379 

to  be  useful  to  their  suffering  Sister.  .  .  ."  On  the  14th  he 
writes  that  "  she  seems  to  be  gradually  losing  the  little  strength 
left  her." 

On  i6th  August,  after  a  brief  absence  at  Portsmouth, 
he  writes  that  he  "  found  the  sweet  child  considerably  changed 
in  appearance,  though  in  perfect  possession  of  her  senses, 
and  it  was  very  touching  indeed  the  manner  in  which  she 
expressed  her  pleasure  at  our  return.  When  I  asked  her  if 
she  would  hke  me  to  stay  with  her  to-morrow,  instead  of 
going  to  town  as  I  had  intended,  she  answered  in  a  most 
impressive  manner  '  Oh  yes.  Papa,  do  stay  with  me.'  " 

On  Monday,  21st  August,  he  writes :  "  I  have,  ever 
since  my  return  from  Portsmouth,  visited  my  Cassy  twice 
during  the  night,  when,  at  whatever  hour  it  might  be,  I  have 
always  found  her  awake  and  generally  panting  or  moaning 
in  a  way  that  went  to  my  heart.  Then  I  would  ask  her  if  she 
felt  pain,  and  in  what  part  ;  when  she  would  answer  in  her 
soft,  quiet  and  chearful  voice  :  '  No,  Papa,  not  much  pain, 
only  a  little  tired '  ;  or  '  only  a  httle  difficulty  in  breathing.' 
To  her  good  nurse  she  would  often  say  '  Oh  Mag,  you  take 
too  much  trouble.     I  wish  you  would  take  some  rest.'  " 

The  following  day,  Tuesday,  22nd  August,  he  writes  : 
"  It  was  Anne's  turn  to  watch  in  the  sick  room  along  with 
Mrs.  Millar.  At  half  past  three  o'clock  my  Daughter  came 
to  my  room  and  awoke  me,  saying  '  Cassy  was  worse.' — In 
two  minutes  I  was  near  her.  I  found  her  on  the  couch  bed  and 
Margaret  standing  by  her  side,  with  her  arm  round  her  neck  : 
her  first  salutation  to  me  was  '  Oh,  sir,  the  spirit  is  fled,  she's 
gone  to  her  Saviour.'  The  blessed  Child  had,  about  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  before,  shown  an  inclination  to  sleep,  and  Margaret, 
happy  to  see  her  get  some  rest,  sat  by  her  side,  still  and  motion- 
less, but  after  a  time  put  her  hand  to  her  wrist, — the  pulse 
was  gone  and  with  it  the  vital  spark  ! — Thus  died  this  dear, 
dear  Girl,  aged  13  y^  4  M^  and  4  days,  having  entered  life 
on  Easter  Sunday  the  18  April,  1824,  in  Upper  Wimpole  Street. 
.  .  .  Never,  I  believe,  did  greater  attachment  exist  between 
Nurse  and  Child  than  that  which  has  this  day  been  severed  by 
the  hand  of  Death.  Never  was  there  a  human  being  more 
fitted  for  the  change  than  this  sweet,  humble  Girl.  Oh  blessed 
Lord,  my  hope  and  my  conviction  is  that  her  Soul  is  with  Thee!" 


380  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

On  9th  March,  1838,  Mr.  Arbuthnot  records  the  death 
of  Miss  Scott,  "  our  excellent  friend,"  who  had  been  for  nearly 
twenty  years  resident  in  his  family  as  governess  to  his  daughters. 
The  name  of  Jane  Scott  will  always  be  gratefully  remembered' 
in  the  parish  of  Ockley,  for  she  bequeathed  the  savings  of  her 
lifetime  for  the  sinking  of  a  well  on  the  village  green,  "  having 
frequently  regretted  the  inconvenience  the  poorer  inhabitants 
of  the  parish  of  Ockley  in  the  county  of  Surrey  have  suffered 
from  the  want  of  a  proper  supply  of  water  in  dry  seasons." 
Miss  Scott  directed  that  a  sum  of  £400  should  be  spent  on  the 
well,  her  executors  being  George  Arbuthnot  of  Elderslie,  his 
son  George,  and  his  son-in-law  and  nephew,  John  Alves  Arbuth- 
not. A  further  sum  was  left  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  "  a 
school  house  in  the  said  parish  of  Ockley,  should  one  not  be 
built  in  my  lifetime,  for  the  use  of  the  children  of  the  poor 
inhabitants  of  the  said  parish,  and  affording  them  gratuitous 
instruction  therein."  Both  the  well  and  the  school  house  are 
now  features  of  Ockley  parish.  Over  the  entrance  to  the 
latter  is  inscribed  :  "  Jane  Scott,  1841,"  and  above  it  are 
the  initials  V.R.,  encircled  by  the  Garter.  Mr.  Arbuthnot 
mentions  the  well  in  his  diary,  i6th  July,  1839,  when  he 
states  that  its  depth  was  60  feet  and  the  depth  of  water 
42  feet. 

The  Diary  was  regularly  kept  up  to  Saturday,  22nd  De- 
cember, 1838.  After  that  it  breaks  off  abruptly,  though  a 
further  entry  is  added  on  13th  July,  1839,  when  Mr.  Arbuthnot 
excuses  the  lapse  from  his  usual  methodical  habit  of  entering 
the  events  of  each  day,  which  arises  from  his  having  been 
"  much  occupied  with  other  matters  during  the  winter  and 
spring,  frequently  unwell  and,  probably  the  truest  cause  of 
all,  from  laziness, — the  absence  of  that  spirit  of  energy  and 
industry  with  which  Providence  had  favoured  me  in  my  early 
days." 

Mr.  Arbuthnot  died  on  the  3rd  November,  1843,  in  his  71st 
year.  He  was  buried  in  the  family  vault  at  Ockley,  built  by 
himself,  which  had  already  received  the  remains  of  his  wife, 
his  dearly-loved  daughter  Catherine,  and  his  sister,  Lady 
Hunter. 

He  had  married,  at  St.  Mary's  Church,  Fort  St.  George, 
26th  April,  1810,  Eliza,  eldest  daughter  of  Donald  Eraser, 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       381 

Writer  in  Inverness,  and  by  her  (who  died  29th  September, 
1834,  and  was  buried  at  Ockley)  he  had  issue — 

I.  Robert,  born  at  Madras  nth  July,  1813,  died  24th 
October,    1814.     Buried    in    St.    Mary's    Burial- 
ground,  Madras. 
II.  George,  second  of    EldersHe,  born  at  Madras  24th 
April,  1815,  of  whom  presently. 

III.  Coutts  Trotter,  I.C.S.,  born  at  14  Upper  Wimpole 

Street  24th  April,  1818,  died  24th  July,  1899, 
unmarried.     Buried  at  Kensal  Green. 

IV.  John  de  Monte,  born  at  Madras   27th  April,  1822, 

married  (29th  January,  1853)  EHzabeth  Esther 
Jane,  daughter  of  Sir  William  Murray,  9th  Baronet, 
and  died  at  Boulogne  4th  August,  1886,  having 
had  issue — 

(i)  Arthur  John  de  Monte,  born  lOth  November, 

1857,  died  1912. 
(2)  Horace  Algernon,  died  9th  February,  1864, 

aged   five   months, 
(i)  Edith,  born  20th  December,  1854,  married 
(1883)  WilHam  Henry  Ambrose,  and  died 
17th  March,  1891. 
V.  William  Reierson,  of  Plaw  Hatch,  Sussex,  born  in 
Upper  Wimpole   Street    28th    January,    1826,   of 
whom   presently. 
I.  Mary,  born   at   Madras   29th  April,   1812,   married 
at   Marylebone   parish  church   (2nd    June,   1832) 
her  cousin,  John  Alves  Arbuthnot  (p.  310),  and 
died  in  1859,  leaving  issue. 
II.  Jane,   born   at   47   Queen   Street,   Edinburgh,   22nd 
October,    1816,  married   as  his  second  wife   (3rd 
January,   1846)   George,  second  Viscount  Gough, 
and  died  3rd  February,  1892,  leaving  issue. 

III.  Anne,  twin   with   Jane,  died  unmarried   at   Lisbon 

22nd  February,  1840. 

IV.  Elizabeth    Georgiana,    born    19th    May,    died    27th 

September,  1820,  on  board  the  Duke  of  York, 
East  Indiaman.  Buried  in  St.  Mary's  Burial- 
ground,  Madras. 


382  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

V.  Catherine   Gregor,   born   in   Upper  Wimpole   Street 
i8th  April,  1824,  died  at  Elderslie  22nd  August, 
1837,  in  her  fourteenth  year. 
VI.  EUzabeth  Agnew,   born   in   Upper  Wimpole   Street 
loth    April,    1828 ;    married    as    his   second    wife 
General  Sir  John  Bloomfield  Gough,  G.C.B.,  and 
had  issue. 
VII.  Laura     Calvert,    born    at    Upper    Wimpole    Street 
22nd  January,  1830  ;   married  (1856)  Sir  William 
Lenox-Conyngham    K.C.B.,    of    Spring    Hill,    co. 
Londonderry,  and  had  issue. 
VIII.  Eleanor  Louisa,  born  28th  January,  1833,  the  heroine 
of    the    "  Garden  Affair,"  to    be    related    shortly. 
She  died  unmarried  in  1894. 

William  Reierson  Arbuthnot  of  Flaw  Hatch,  Sussex, 
fifth  son  of  George  Arbuthnot,  first  of  Elderslie,  and  Eliza 
Eraser,  was  born  at  14,  Upper  Wimpole  Street  28th  January, 
1826.  In  1845  he  went  out  to  India,  and  was  for  many  years 
a  partner  in  the  firm  of  Arbuthnot  and  Co.  of  Madras,  from 
which  he  retired  in  1875.'  He  was  for  a  time  a  member  of 
the  Legislative  Council  in  Madras,  chairman  of  the  Bank  of 
Madras,  and  chairman  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  in  that 
city. 

On  his  return  to  England  he  settled  at  Flaw  Hatch, 
Sussex,  a  beautiful  property  on  rising  ground  near  Ashdown 
Forest.'  The  house,  which  is  considered  an  almost  perfect 
copy  of  the  Elizabethan  style,  was  entirely  planned  by 
Mrs.  Arbuthnot,  the  architect  merely  giving  her  the  correct 
elevations.  She  had  a  wonderful  talent  for  planning  houses 
and  laying  out  gardens,  and  did  much  to  beautify  the  grounds 
and  surroundings. 

«  The  failure,  in  1906,  of  his  old  firm  was  one  of  the  last  great  sorrows  of 
Mr.  Wilham  Reierson  Arbuthnot's  life,  never  mentioned  by  him  except  with  the 
deepest  emotion.  The  great  bank  had  endured  a  hundred  years,  and,  from  small 
beginnings,  had  grown  gradually  in  wealth,  influence,  and  reputation,  till  it  came 
to  be  regarded  by  the  natives  as  almost  a  department  of  the  Government  and  an 
emblem  of  the  British  Raj.  The  tragedy  of  its  fall  was  so  great  and  far-reaching 
that  it  was  no  exaggeration  to  call  it — as  one  correspondent  of  the  Madras 
Mail  did — a  blow  to  British  prestige  in  India.  The  story  is  so  recent  and  so 
sad  that  we  shall  be  excused  from  referring  to  it  further  than  in  these  few 
words. 

»  The  property  was  sold  in  19 16,  a  few  years  after  Mr.  Arbuthnot's  death. 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       383 

Mr.  Arbuthnot  was  a  keen  Conservative,  and  was  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  East  Grinstead  Constitutional  Club.  In 
religious  matters  he  and  Mrs.  Arbuthnot  were  staunch  Evan- 
gelicals, and  supported  a  Mission  Room  in  the  village  of  Sharp- 
thorne,  which  Mrs.  Arbuthnot  always  attended.' 

Mr.  Arbuthnot  died  31st  May,  1913,  and  was  buried  in 
West  Hoathly  Churchyard.  He  had  married  (9th  December, 
1858)  Mary  Helen,  eldest  daughter  of  Phihp  Anstruther, 
Colonial  Secretary  of  Ceylon,  eldest  son  of  Colonel  Robert 
Anstruther,  of  the  68th  Regiment  (third  son  of  Sir  John 
Anstruther,  second  Baronet,  of  that  Ilk)  '  and  by  her  (who 
died  2ist  May,  1912,  and  is  buried  in  the  churchyard  of 
West  Hoathly)  had  issue — 

I.  George   Anstruther,   born    at    Madras   27th    March, 

i860,  died  15th  January,  1861. 
II.  Philip  Stewart-Mackenzie,  born  at  Madras  27th 
March,  1863,  was  for  many  years  Honorary 
Secretary  to  the  Highland  Society  of  London  ; 
married  (nth  December,  1906)  Ada  Jane,  daughter 
of  William  John  Evelyn  of  Wotton,  Surrey,  and 
has  issue  Mary  Evelyn,  born  14th  August,  1907. 

III.  Keith  Eraser,  of  Summers  Place,  Billingshurst,  Sussex, 

born  27th  May,  1864,  married  (1899)  Mabel 
Constance  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  General  David 
Robertson,  late  44th  Goorkhas  (she  died  13th 
December,  1918)  and  died  31st  October,  1914, 
leaving  issue  an  only  child,  Joyce  Frances, 
born    1st    August,    1902. 

IV.  WiUiam   Reierson  of  the  Old  House,   Plaw  Hatch, 

Sussex,  and  40  Princes  Gate,  London,  born  15th 
December,  1866,  married  (5th  December,  1907) 
Mabel,  only  daughter  of  Francis  Henry  Slade, 
of  New  York,  and  has  issue — 

«  Mrs.  Arbuthnot  was  the  foundress  of  the  Women's  Protestant  Union,  and 
in  connection  with  it  edited  the  Protestant  Woman,  a  monthly  magazine,  for  many 
years. 

»  Through  her  mother,  Mary  Frances,  daughter  of  the  Right  Hon.  James 
Stewart-Mackenzie  of  Glasserton  (by  his  wife,  the  Hon.  Mary  Mackenzie,  only 
surviving  child  of  Francis,  Lord  Seaforth),  Mrs.  Arbuthnot  descended  from  the 
ancient  family  of  Mackenzie  of  Kintail,  of  which  Colonel  J.  A.  F.  H.  Stewart- 
Mackenzie  of  Seaforth  is  now  the  head. 


384  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

(i)  Helen  Marion,  born  27th  September,  1910. 
(2)  Caroline  Elizabeth  Mabel,  born  loth  August, 
1912. 

V.  Harold  Denison,  born  15th  September,  1868,  married 
(28th  April,  1898)  Anne  Grace,  daughter  of  Charles 
E.  Lambert  of  the  Manor  House,  Effingham,  Surrey, 
and  has  had  issue — 

(i)  Clive  Denison,  R.N.,  born  ist  August,  1900  ; 
(2)  David   Denison,   born   14th   October,    1906, 

died  4th  March,  1915. 
(i)  Thelma  Grace,  born  3rd  October,  1911. 

VI.  Kenneth  Windham  (Major),  Seaforth  Highlanders), 
born  23rd  July,  1873,  entered  the  Army  in  1893  ; ' 
served  with  the  Relief  Force  in  the  Chitral  Campaign 
of  1895,  receiving  the  medal  with  clasp ;  was 
with  the  Nile  Expedition  of  1898  ;  was  present 
at  the  Battle  of  Khartoum,  receiving  for  his 
services  the  King's  Medal  with  clasp  and  the 
Egyptian  Medal ;  served  in  the  Boer  War,  1900-2, 
taking  part  in  the  operations  in  Cape  Colony 
(Feb.,  1900),  Orange  Free  State  (Feb. -March, 
1901),  Transvaal  (March,  1901— May,  1902)  ; 
mentioned  in  Despatches  {London  Gazette,  29th 
July,  1902)  ;  awarded  a  brevet  majority,  August, 
igo2,  and  the  Queen's  Medal  with  five  clasps. 
After  his  return  to  England  he  acted  as  Adjutant 
to  the  fourth  Volunteer  Battalion  of  his  regiment 
(August,  1907,  to  March,  1908)  ;  to  the  Territorials, 
(April,  1908,  to  June,  1909).  He  was  Brigade- 
Major,  Gordon  Infantry  Brigade  (Scottish  Com- 
mand), from  October,  1911,  to  9th  August,  1914, 
when  he  threw  up  his  appointment  in  the  hope 

'  The  Seaforth  Highlanders  ("  Ross-shire  Buffs  ")  were  originally  raised  by- 
Kenneth,  sixth  Earl  of  Seaforth,  in  1778.  The  second  Battalion  was  raised  in 
1793  by  Francis,  Lord  Seaforth,  for  service  against  the  F"rench.  No  one  took  a 
keener  interest  in  the  history  of  his  regiment  than  Major  Arbuthnot,  who  was, 
through  his  mother,  great-great-grandson  to  Lord  Seaforth.  He  studied  Gaelic 
in  order  to  place  himself  in  closer  touch  with  his  men,  and  devoted  all  his  energies 
to  providing  for  their  welfare  and  increasing  the  efficiency  of  the  regiment  in  which 
he  took  so  much  pride. 


GEORGE  ARBUTHNOT  OF  ELDERSLIE   385 

of  being  sent  out  to  France.     Having  previously 
suffered  from  over-strain,   Major  Arbuthnot  had 
been  granted  six  months  sick  leave,  dating  from 
25th  May,  1914,  and  was  far  from  well  at  the  out- 
break  of  the   European   War.      For   this  reason 
he  was  unable  to  get  leave  from  the  authorities 
to  proceed  to  France  in  August,   1914,   and  his 
regiment,  to  his  great  regret,  left  for  the  front 
without  him  in  the  early  part  of  the  month.     He 
was  not  able  to  rejoin  it  till  the  25th  of  November, 
when  he  at  once  proceeded  to  France.     Shortly 
afterwards  he  was  offered  the  command  of  the  8th 
Battalion  Argyll  and  Sutherland  Highlanders,  but 
preferred  to  remain  with  his  own  regiment.     From 
time  to  time,  friends  in  influential  quarters  offered 
their  services  to  procure  him  a  staff  appointment, 
but  all  such  offers  were  dechned.  On  the  25th  April, 
1915,  the  regiment  was  ordered  to  retake  a  position 
lost  shortly  before  by  the  Canadians,  against  whom 
gas  had  been  employed  for  the  first  time.     For 
some  reason  no  artillery  preparation  seems  to  have 
preceded  the  attack.      The  regiment   went  into 
action  800  strong,  and  emerged  a  mere  remnant.' 
Among  the  handful  of  officers  who  survived  was 
Major   Arbuthnot's   brother,    Malcolm,    who   was 
shot  through  the  lungs  and  whose  life  was  long 
despaired    of.     Major    Kenneth   Arbuthnot,    with 
his  nephew.  Lieutenant  Middleton,  was  one  of  the 
first  to  fall.     With  him  perished  all  his  best  and 
most   intimate   friends.     Had   it   been   otherwise, 
doubtless  a  sketch  of  his  career,  from  the  pen  of  a 
brother  officer,  would  have  been  available.     It  was 
a  Flodden  for  the  regiment,  whose  sacrifices  were 
httle  noticed  in  the  newspaper  accounts.     Major 
Arbuthnot's  body  was  found  within  a  few  yards 
of  the  German  hnes,  and  was  buried  on  the  left 
side  of  the  St.  Jean— St.  Julien  road,  about  1,000 
yards    south    of    St.    Julien.     He    had    married 

»  Eighty-seven. 

25 


S     MEMORIES  OF  THE  ARBUTHNOTS 

(26th   April,    1911)    Janet    Elspeth,    daughter    of 
Major  Robert  Sinclair  Wemyss,  and  had  issue — 

(i)  John  Sinclair  Wemyss,  born  nth  February, 
1912. 

(2)  Robert  Michael  Wemyss,  born  9th  March, 
1914. 
VII.  Andrew  Carmichael,  born  6th  August,  1877,  entered 
the  Army  in  1896  as  Lieutenant  3rd  BattaHon 
Seaforth  Highlanders.  Served  in  the  Boer  War 
(South  African  Medal  with  four  clasps).  Drove 
a  motor  ambulance  in  France  during  the  European 
War,  and  was  awarded  the  Mons  Medal.  He 
married  (19th  June,  191 1)  Jessie  Evelyn,  daughter 
of  Charles  E.  Lambert  of  the  Manor  House, 
Effingham,  Surrey,  and  has  issue — 

(i)  Evelyn  Helen  Anne,  born  23rd  June,  1912. 

(2)  Ursula  Bridget,  born  loth  May,  1915. 
VIIL  Malcolm  Alexander  (Major),  born  23rd  September, 
1878  ;  served  in  the  European  War  ;  joined  up 
September,  1914,  as  private  in  the  Pubhc  Schools 
Battalion ;  commissioned  as  Lieutenant,  3rd 
BattaUon  Seaforth  Highlanders  (Special  Reserve), 
October,  1914 ;  proceeded  to  France  with  his 
regiment  April,  1915  ;  seriously  wounded  at  the 
second  Battle  of  Ypres,  25th  April,  1915  ;  Captain, 
23rd  June,  1915  ;  appointed  Staff-Captain,  War 
Office,  January,  1917  ;  proceeded  to  France, 
attached  to  "  A  "  Branch,  G.H.Q.,  March,  1917  ; 
appointed  D.A.M.S.  (afterwards  D.A.A.G.),  War 
Office,  June,  1918  ;  Brevet-Major  the  same  month  ; 
1914-15  Star ;  O.B.E.,  1919.  He  married  (at 
Calcutta  8th  January,  1906)  Florence  Jessie, 
■daughter  of  General  George  Saunders  Theophilus 
Boileau  of  Goulburn,  New  South  Wales. 
1.  Mary  Eleanor,  born  at  Ootacamund,  8th  March,  1861. 
II.  Helen  Frances,  born  21st  February,  1862,  married 
(2nd  February  1886)  Lieut.-Colonel  William  Craw- 
ford Middleton,  of  the  2nd  Dragoons  (Royal  Scots 
Greys)  and  died  ist  August,  1900,  leaving  issue. 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       387 

III.  Hester  Marion,  born  13th  September,  1865,  married 

(at    West    Hoathly,    23rd     July,    1890)    William 
Nevill  Cobbold,  and  has  issue. 

IV.  Katharine  Isobel,  born  23rd  October,  1869,  married 

(1902)  Hugh  Mackay  Matheson  of  Little  Scatwell, 
Ross-shire,  only  son  of  Hugh  Mackay  Matheson  of 
the  same  place,  and  has  issue. 
V.  Cicely  May,  born  29th  March,  1872,  married 
(15th  December,  1907)  Lieutenant-Colonel  Hugh 
Neufville  Taylor,  D.S.O.,  5th  Burmah  Regiment. 
VI.  Dorothy  Grace  of  Forest  Lodge,  Plaw  Hatch, 
born  at  Plaw  Hatch  27th  June,  1884. 

We  have  now  to  tell  the  strange  story  of  Eleanor  Arbuthnot, 
youngest  daughter  of  George  Arbuthnot  of  Elderslie  and  Eliza 
Eraser. 

In  1852,  her  parents  being  then  both  dead,  she  and  her 
sister  Laura  were  making  their  home  with  her  elder  sister,  the 
Hon.  Mrs.  George  Gough '  at  Rathronan  House,  Tipperary. 
In  that  year  Eleanor,  with  her  sister  Laura,  paid  a  visit 
to  Eastgrove,  the  house  of  a  Mr.  John  Bagwell,  in  County  Cork. 
Among  the  guests  was  a  certain  Mr.  John  Rutter  Garden  of 
Barnane  Castle,  Tipperary,  member  of  a  family  long  established 
there, =  a  man  of  position  and  means,  a  keen  sportsman,  exceed- 
ingly popular  in  his  county,  and  who  could  not  for  a  moment 
be  classed  as  a  fortune-hunter.  This  man^ — of  whom  it  is  not 
yet  quite  settled  whether  he  was  the  villain  or  hero  of  the  story 
we  have  now  to  relate — was  a  Tipperary  landowner,  a  magistrate 
and  Deputy-Lieutenant  of  his  county,  and  was  already  notorious 
for  the  number  of  times  he  had  been  unsuccessfully  fired  upon 
by  his  tenants,  his  extraordinary  immunity  having  earned  him 
the  nickname  of  "  Woodcock  Garden."  As  is  well  known, 
agrarian  outrages  were  very  common  in  Ireland  about  this 
time,  and  the  position  of  Irish  landlords  was  anything  but  an 
enviable  one. 

This,  then,  was  the  first  meeting  between  these  two — he 
a  man  of  forty-three,  she  a  girl  of  eighteen — whose  names  were 
ever  afterwards  to  be  inextricably  associated  together.  In 
a  long  and  touching  letter  written  by  Mr.  Garden  from  Clonmel 

'  Afterwards  Viscountess  Gough. 

s  And  using  the  somewhat  appropriate  family  motto  of  "  Fide  et  Amore." 


388  MEMORIES    OF    TIIE    ARRUTHNOTS 

gaol  two  years  later  to  Eleanor's  eldest  brother  George '  he  gives 
many  details  never  before  made  public.  He  relates  that  on 
the  evening  of  26th  July,  1852,  he  walked  in  to  dinner  at 
Mr.  Bagwell's,  without  the  faintest  idea  of  the  fate  that  was 
to  overtake  him  that  night.  He  had  been  in  love  before,  and 
cherished  a  prejudice  against  heiresses  in  general,  and  it  was 
no  secret  that  the  two  sisters  were  each  in  possession  of  a 
fortune  of  £30,000.  He  went  to  Mr.  Bagwell's,  he  says, 
largely  with  the  idea  of  amusing  himself  with  the  spectacle 
of  others'  love-making.  Perhaps  the  Fates  looked  with  dis- 
favour on  this  levity  and  merely  chose  as  their  instrument  of 
revenge  a  gentle,  sweet-natured  girl  of  eighteen  ;  certain  it  is, 
that  from  the  moment  she  first  crossed  his  path,  John  Garden 
was  never  to  know  peace  of  mind  or  happiness  again.  This  girl 
— whom  we  are  assured  he  never  moved  to  a  moment's  sug- 
gestion of  response — awakened  in  him  a  feeling  far  deeper  than 
anything  usually  aroused  by  mere  superficial  attraction.  He 
woke  to  depths  of  suffering  he  had  never  known  or  beUeved 
possible.  He  found  himself  in  the  incredible  predicament 
which  had  seemed  merely  ludicrous  when  others  were  its 
victims.  Henceforward,  till  his  comparatively  early  death, 
one  thought  alone  possessed  his  soul — to  be  near  her  without 
whose  gentle,  soothing  society  he  found  he  could  not  live, 
except  in  torture.  He  says  that  her  presence  became  necessary 
to  his  happiness.  He  could  not  endure  a  day  in  which  he  did 
not  see  her.  He  asked  only  to  be  allowed  to  approach  her, 
to  take  his  chance  with  the  rest.  By  Mr.  Garden's  account,  it 
was  only  when  this  was  refused  him  that  he  became  desperate 
and  dangerous. 

But  none  of  the  misfortunes  that  followed  could  have  been 
foreseen  at  this  early  stage.  The  only  untoward  circumstance 
mentioned  by  Mr.  Garden  with  regard  to  this  visit  was  the 
impression  he  received  that  he  was  disapproved  of  by  a  member 
of  Eleanor's  family,  whose  opposition,  according  to  Mr.  Garden, 

•  Kindly  lent  to  the  writer  by  Mr.  William  Arbuthnot-Leslie  of  Warthill. 
This  letter,  with  Mr.  Garden's  pamphlet,  published  in  1858,  is  the  foundation 
for  the  account  of  this  affair,  the  local  papers  having  also  been  consulted,  together 
with  Mr.  Alexander  Sullivan's  New  Ireland,  where  a  spirited  description  of  the 
whole  adventure  will  be  found.  No  material  exists  for  telling  the  story  from 
Miss  Arbuthnot's  point  of  view.  The  reader  must  therefore  bear  in  mind  that 
the  facts  presented  here  are  shown  as  they  appeared  to  Mr.  Garden,  and  cannot 
fail,  therefore,  to  have  a  certain  bias,  for  which  allowance  must  be  made. 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       389 

was  even  at  that  time  so  marked  that  he  seriously  thought  of 
proceeding  no  further  in  the  matter,  and  of  leaving  the  house. 
His  hostess,  however,  easily  divining  his  feelings,  seems  to 
have  dissuaded  him  from  this  course,  and  prevailed  upon  him 
to  remain,  little  knowing  what  a  disservice  she  did  her  friend. 

Mr.  Garden  told  Eleanor  that  he  was  thinking  of  giving 
a  fete  at  Barnane,  on  which,  with  perfect  innocence,  she  begged 
him  to  invite  her  to  it,  insisting  that  he  "  could  put  her  and 
her  sister  anywhere." 

Mr.  Garden,  leaving  Eastgrove,  returned  to  Barnane. 
It  was  clear  to  him  that  his  next  step  must  be  to  make  the 
acquaintance  of  Mr.  George  Gough,  whom  at  the  time  he  only 
knew  by  name.  He  wrote,  therefore,  to  Mr.  Gough,  expressing 
his  desire  to  become  acquainted  with  him.  After  this  he 
paid  two  visits  to  Rathronan,  staying  two  nights  on  each 
occasion.  A  little  later  he  and  the  Gough  party  stayed  three 
nights  at  Ballinacourte,  with  Mr.  George  Massy-Dawson,' 
and  from  thence,  on  the  9th  September,  they  went  on  to 
Barnane  Gastle,  where  Eleanor  became,  for  ten  days,  the  guest 
of  the  unfortunate  man  whose  whole  career  was  to  be  wrecked 
by  this  infatuation.'  Mr.  Garden  says  that  twice  during  this 
visit  he  was  on  the  point  of  proposing  to  her,  but  feared  to 
risk  everything  by  a  premature  avowal,  which  might  debar 
him  from  the  pleasant  and  friendly  intercourse  which  he  says 
had  become  necessary  to  his  existence. 

Meanwhile,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gough,  who  did  not  approve  of 
Mr.  Garden  as  a  prospective  brother-in-law,  had  taken  the 
alarm,  and  it  seems  that  the  whole  party  left  Barnane  on  the 
18th,  some  days  earher  than  had  been  arranged.  Mr.  Garden 
took  an  early  opportunity  of  calhng  at  Rathronan,  where  he 
saw  Eleanor,  and  received  from  her  some  tickets  for  a  concert 

»  The  writer's  grandmother,  Mrs.  George  Evelyn,  having  been  a  Miss  Massy- 
Dawson  of  Ballinacourte,  some  effort  has  been  made  to  collect  any  traditions  that 
might  have  been  handed  down  in  the  famil)-  with  regard  to  this  visit,  but  in  vain. 
The  generation  whom  it  concerned  have  all  passed  away,  and,  while  some  were 
yet  living,  the  writer  had  no  reason  to  take  any  special  interest  in  the  matter, 
though  she  often  heard  it  casually  mentioned. 

»  Two  accounts  of  this  visit  have  appeared  in  print,  one  from  the  pen  of  Mr. 
Garden,  the  other  from  the  deposition  made  by  Miss  Arbuthnot  before  a  magis- 
trate in  1858.  There  are  certain  discrepancies  in  these  two  versions,  but  as  it  is 
our  purpose  to  revive  the  facts  and  not  the  controversies  of  over  half  a  century 
ago,  it  had  been  decided  to  pass  on  to  the  next  series  of  incidents  mentioned  by 
Mr.  Cardan  in  the  letter  which  has  furnished  us  with  so  many 


390  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

in  the  neighbourhood  at  which  she  was  to  be  present,  and  where 
he  duly  put  in  an  appearance.  He  was,  however,  late  in 
arriving,  and  states  that  she  expressed  surprise  at  this  the 
following  day,  when  they  were  riding  together.  Miss  Arbuth- 
not  was  an  expert  rider,  and  was  often  joined  by  Mr.  Garden, 
whose  horses  she  sometimes  rode.  In  his  later  troubles  he 
relates  how  his  thoughts  went  back  to  these  rides  over  the 
Tipperary  hills — those  hills  which  he  afterwards  gazed  at 
from  his  prison  cell,  and  which  embittered  his  misery  by  re- 
minding him  of  the  hours  they  had  once  passed  together. 

A  day  or  two  after  the  concert  he  met  her  driving  in  a  car, 
and  she  asked  him  whether  he  knew  that  she  had  been  to  call 
at  the  house  where  he  was  staying  ?  Perhaps  this  simple 
question,  in  Mr.  Garden's  then  frame  of  mind,  may  unfortunately 
have  suggested  to  him  that  some  special  interest  was  taken 
in  his  movements,  for  it  is  clear  that  he  considered  at  this 
time  that  he  had  some  grounds  to  be  hopeful.  He  now  de- 
termined to  bring  things  to  a  climax,  and,  accordingly,  sought 
an  interview  with  Mrs.  Gough.  We  may  notice  that,  as  far 
as  can  be  gathered,  he  never  proposed  to  Miss  Arbuthnot 
herself.  If  he  had  done  so,  presumably  the  whole  affair 
would  have  ended  differently,  she  would  (if  family  tradition 
does  not  err)  have  refused  him  unequivocally,  and  the  matter 
would  have  ended  there.  It  must  be  remembered,  however, 
that  we  are  deahng  with  the  Victorian  period,  when  girls 
were  not  in  the  habit  of  receiving  direct  proposals  of  marriage. 

Eleanor  herself,  it  appears,  knew  nothing  of  this  interview 
till  some  time  afterwards.  Mrs.  Gough,  who  must  be  supposed 
to  be  the  best  judge  of  her  sister's  feelings,  assured  Mr.  Garden 
of  her  certain  knowledge  that  he  had  not  a  chance  of  success, 
begged  him  to  put  the  idea  altogether  out  of  his  mind,  and 
told  him  that  in  any  case  they  did  not  wish  Eleanor  to  marry 
for  two  years.  Unfortunately  Mr.  Garden  could  not  bring 
himself  to  accept  his  fate.  To  put  the  matter  out  of  his  mind 
was  no  longer  in  his  power,  and  he  determined  not  to  accept 
as  final  the  decision  of  a  girl  in  her  teens,  or,  as  he  considered 
it,  the  decision  of  her  relatives  for  her.  He  seems  to  have 
been  willing  to  believe  anything  rather  than  what  family 
tradition  states  was  the  undoubted  fact — that  she  never 
felt  anything   but   complete  indifference  towards  him.     She 


Eleanor  Arbulhnol,  youngest  daughter  of  George  Arbutlinot  of  Elde 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       391 

is  said  to  have  been  rather  pale,  with  expressive  eyes  and 
to  have  had  a  very  sweet,  winning,  diffident  manner.  Perhaps 
this  gentle  manner  was  responsible  for  the  tragic  misapprehen- 
sion that  nothing  ever  had  power  to  remove.  At  any  rate, 
Mr.  Garden  became  possessed  with  the  idea  that  her  heart 
was  secretly  his  and  that  family  opposition  alone  intervened 
to  separate  them.  Mr.  Garden  has  sketched  Eleanor's  character 
for  us  as  follows  :  "  A  Miranda  in  simplicity,  purity  of  thought, 
innocence  and  creduhty,  she  does  not  comprehend  that  evil 
exists  in  the  world.  Never  did  the  breath  of  life  animate  the 
bosom  of  one  so  gentle,  kind-hearted,  amiable  and  confiding. 
Her  only  fault  is  that  she  leans  altogether  on  those  with  whom 
she  is  placed,  and  cannot  bring  herself  to  act  in  any  way 
contrary  to  their  opinions  and  wishes.  In  the  ordinary  inter- 
course of  Hfe,  she  could  not  say  anything  which  might  hurt 
the  feelings  of  those  with  whom  she  is  brought  in  contact. 
Family  affection  is  with  her  a  passion  ;  and  well  might  a 
brother  writing  to  her  use  these  expressions  :  '  From  you,  of  all 
my  brothers  and  sisters,  I  have  never  received  an  angry  word 
or  even  a  black  look.'  " 

In  spite  of  this  discouraging  interview  with  Mrs.  Gough, 
Mr.  Garden  continued  his  intercourse  with  the  family,  though 
a  terrible  misgiving  and  sense  of  impending  calamity  had  now 
come  over  him.  At  this  period  he  was  still  treated  as  a  friend, 
and,  Mr.  Gough  having  suffered  from  an  attack  of  scarlatina, 
Mr.  Garden  prevailed  upon  him  to  come  and  stay  at  Barnane 
during  his  convalescence.  When  riding  with  Eleanor  just 
before,  Mr.  Garden  took  the  opportunity  of  telling  her  how 
great  a  pleasure  it  would  be  to  him  to  welcome  anyone  belonging 
to  her  at  Barnane.  During  this  visit,  though  friendly  relations 
were  apparently  still  maintained,  Mr.  Garden  seems  for  the 
first  time  to  have  realized  that  all  approaches  to  Miss  Eleanor 
were  definitely  and  finally  closed  to  him.  His  disposition 
seems  to  have  been  proud,  unconventional  and  adventurous. 
He  was  extremely  popular  in  his  county,  accustomed,  perhaps, 
to  be  made  much  of  by  women,  and  not  inclined  to  accept 
defeat  with  regard  to  anj^thing  on  which  he  had  set  his  heart. 
One  can  form  an  idea  what  his  somewhat  haughty  spirit  must 
have  suffered  in  the  long  agony  and  series  of  humiliations  he 
was  now  to  endure.     To  add  to  his  misery,  he  knew  well  that 


892  MEMORIES    OF   THE    x\RBUTHNOTS 

there  were  several  other  candidates  in  the  field,  one  of  whom, 
he  beheved,  was  warmly  favoured  by  Eleanor's  family.  He 
now  made  an  irreparable  mistake.  In  an  access  of  despair 
he  wrote  to  Eleanor  and  begged  her  to  elope  with  him.  He 
says  that  he  did  not  really  think  that  she  would  consent,  but 
an  agony  of  jealousy  made  him  wish  at  all  costs  to  keep  him- 
self in  her  mind,  and  he  thought  that  at  the  worst  she  would 
keep  the  letter  to  herself  and  forgive  him  afterwards.  The 
event,  however,  proved  otherwise.  Miss  Arbuthnot  was 
deeply  offended  and  instantly  showed  the  letter  to  Mrs.  Gough. 
She  also  wrote  to  her  brother-in-law,  then  at  Barnane,  a  letter 
which  was  naturally  expressed  in  terms  of  deep  resentment, 
and  to  which  she  refers  as  follows  in  her  affidavit  ■ : — "  Feeling 
indignant  at  such  an  insulting  proposition,  for  which  my 
conduct  towards  Mr.  Garden  had  not  given  the  least  ground 
or  excuse,  I  immediately  communicated  the  said  letter  to  my 
brother-in-law,  then  at  Barnane,  as  before  mentioned,  informing 
him  at  the  same  time  that  in  the  event  of  his  inviting  Mr. 
Garden  to  Rathronan,  I  would  leave  the  house  while  he  was 
to  be  there,  being  determined  never  to  be  under  the  same  roof 
with  him." 

The  letter  was  immediately  communicated  to  Mr.  Garden, 
and  although  he  seems  to  have  attributed  it  largely  to  the 
influence  of  her  relations,  he  none  the  less  recognized  it  as  the 
probable  death-knell  of  his  hopes.  Finding  himself  thus 
dismissed,  he  wrote  to  Mr.  Gough,  expressing  the  utmost 
penitence  for  his  presumptuous  act,  and  imploring  forgiveness. 
In  reply  to  this,  a  sheet  of  note-paper  was  sent  to  him,  on  which 
Eleanor  had  written  the  single  word  "  No,"  and  signed  it 
"  E.L.A."  "  I  did  not  attach  importance  to  it,"  explained 
Mr.  Garden  in  the  pamphlet  he  published  in  1858,  "  conceiving 
that  she  had  acted  under  influence."  Nevertheless,  although 
he  would  not  accept  the  letter  as  expressing  Eleanor's  true 
feelings,  he  was  now  reduced  to  despair.  He  made  his 
will  in  October  (1852),  leaving  to  her  all  his  beautiful  horses, 
several  of  which  she  had  frequently  ridden.  He  now  made  up 
his  mind  to  join  a  brother  of  his  in  the  West  Indies,  and  well 
would  it  have  been  for  Mr.  Garden  if  he  had  carried  out  this 
plan.     But,    unfortunately,    he    decided    that    he    could    not 

'  Taken  before  a  magistrate  in  1858. 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       393 

leave  the  country  without  seeing  her  once  more.  He  therefore 
went  one  evening  to  the  house  of  a  friend,  where  he  knew  she 
and  her  relations  were  dining,  and  found  himself  again  in  her 
presence.  Eleanor  was  probably  shy  and  bewildered,  and  per- 
haps Mr.  Garden  did  not  find  in  her  manner  any  of  the  severity 
expressed  in  her  letter,  for  he  says  that  after  that  evening  he 
could  not  bring  himself  to  give  her  up.  He  postponed  his 
departure  indefinitely,  and  waited  on  the  chance  of  things  taking 
a  more  favourable  turn.  He  now  employed  mutual  friends 
to  intercede  for  him,  so  as  to  be  allowed  to  resume  intercourse 
with  the  family,  but  all  in  vain.  Since  his  rash  letter  to 
Eleanor  the  inmates  of  Rathronan  had  held  no  communication 
with  him.  He  reahzed  that  by  his  own  reckless  act  he  had 
forfeited  all  right  to  approach  her,  but  he  says  that  if  he  could 
only  have  had  access  to  her  at  this  time,  he  knows  she  would 
have  forgiven  him,— she  was  so  good  and  kind  and  gentle. 
Do  what  he  might,  he  could  achieve  nothing  more  than  a  few 
casual  words  with  her  now  and  then,  and  slowly  he  was  driven 
into  moods  of  blackest  despair,  mingled  with  fierce  resentment 
against  those  who,  as  he  persuaded  himself,  were  unjustifiably 
keeping  them  apart.  Mr.  Garden  had  many  friends  who 
sympathized  with  him,  making  no  allowances  for  the  really 
serious  provocation  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gough  had  received,  and 
these  friends  now,  according  to  Mr.  Garden,  began  quite 
innocently  to  let  fall  words  and  comments  which  had  an  effect 
they  little  anticipated.  They  assured  him  of  their  knowledge 
that  he  would  never  be  allowed  to  meet  Eleanor  until  either 
he  or  she  were  married.  That  he  had  not  the  shadow  of  a 
chance  unless  he  chose  to  carry  her  off  by  force.  That  her 
family  regarded  him  as  a  desperado  capable  of  any  outrage 
of  this  kind  and  were  very  much  in  fear  of  him,  etc.,  etc. 
Words  like  these,  lightly  spoken,  produced  a  deep  effect  on 
Mr.  Garden,  and  he  began,  unknown  to  the  speakers,  to  consider 
seriously  the  mad  plan  which  has  made  his  name  notorious  for 
ever.  The  scheme  was  already  in  his  mind  when,  in  April,  1853, 
being  on  a  visit  at  Lord  Lismore's  in  the  neighbourhood,  he 
ventured  to  call  at  Rathronan  once  more.  It  was  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  Mr.  Garden  describes  how  he  remained  to  luncheon, 
and  afterwards  had  "  much  conversation  with  Miss  Arbuthnot, 
who  was  turning  over  the  leaves  of  a  book  I  was  examining." 


394  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUl'HNOTS 

As  we  proceed  with  the  story,  we  must  bear  in  mind  that 
Mr.  Garden  sincerely  beheved  that  Eleanor  herself  was  not 
indifferent  to  him.  The  idea  became  an  obsession  with  him, 
and  by  degrees  he  adopted  so  distorted  a  view  as  to  regard  her 
as  little  better  than  a  prisoner  in  her  brother-in-law's  house. 
He  was  convinced  that  she  was  not  happy.  In  this  Mr. 
Garden  appears  to  have  been  quite  mistaken,  for  family  tradi- 
tion is  definite  on  this  point,  but  we  are  now  considering  his 
impressions,  as  recorded  in  his  letter.  He  thought  that  she 
often  looked  sad.  He  remembered  that  when  they  used  to  ride 
together  and  meet  freely,  she  had  seemed  happy  and  light- 
hearted.  He  knew  that  the  scheme  he  was  now  cherishing,  and 
which,  every  day,  was  maturing  itself  in  his  mind,  was  (from 
the  conventional  point  of  view)  utterly  outrageous  and  indeed, 
in  the  eyes  of  the  law,  criminal.  But  he  pleads  that  the  human 
mind  is  able  to  reconcile  itself  to  any  idea  that  has  become 
familiar  through  long  pondering  and  reflection.  So  it  was  with 
him.  His  plan  soon  ceased  to  appear  extraordinary  ;  it  seemed 
the  simplest,  most  direct,  and  satisfactory  way  out  of  a  situation 
that  had  become  impossible.  The  idea  of  violence  towards 
her  was  of  course  abhorrent  to  him.  He  searched  his  mind  for 
other  alternatives,  but  could  find  none.  It  seemed  to  him  that 
there  was  no  other  way. 

Some  kind  of  partial  reconciliation  with  the  Gough  family 
must  have  taken  place  at  this  time,  for  we  find  by  Mr.  Garden's 
account  that  on  the  i8th  May,  1853,  Lord  Gough,  Mr.  George 
Gough,  and  Sir  Patrick  Grant '  stayed  a  night  with  Mr.  Garden 
at  Barnane.  On  ist  September  Mr.  Garden  dined  at  Lord 
Gough's  house,  St.  Helen's,  near  Dublin,  and  met  Eleanor 
once  more.  As  Mr.  Garden  puts  it,  she  "  was  guarded  all  the 
evening,"  and  he  found  it  impossible  to  approach  her.  At 
last,  just  before  retiring,  and  actuated,  perhaps,  by  a  feeling 
of  pity  towards  him,  Eleanor  suddenly  crossed  the  room  and 
shook  hands  with  him,  before  saying  good-night.  The  effect 
of  this  evening  was  to  confirm  him  in  the  idea  that  there  was 
nothing  for  it  but  to  fall  back  on  his  desperate  scheme.  He  now 
began  to  prepare  his  plans  in  detail.  His  idea  was  to  carry 
her  off  to  the  Galway  coast,  where  he  intended  to  have  a  yacht 
in  readiness,  and  from  thence  to  proceed  to  Skye.     A  great 

'  Who  had  married  in  1844  Lord  Gough's  youngest  daughter,  Frances. 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       395 

friend  of  his,  Lord  Hill  of  Hawkstone,  had  taken  a  castle 
there  that  year,  and  he  counted  on  Lord  Hill's  being  willing 
to  receive  the  lady  brought  to  his  house  in  this  unconventional 
way,  on  her  account.  He  believed  he  could  then  induce  her 
to  forgive  him,  and  to  consent  to  marry  him.  At  the  back 
of  his  mind  was  the  knowledge  that  if  he  were  unsuccessful 
in  obtaining  her  consent,  his  fate  must  actually  be  the  galleys. 
He  determined,  however,  to  risk  all  consequences  to  himself, 
believing  that  nothing  could  exceed  his  present  misery. 

We  must  pass  briefly  over  the  autumn  of  1853.  Mr. 
Garden  visited  Scotland,  and  on  his  way  came  up  accidentally 
with  the  Gough  party  on  their  way  to  Inverness.  He  had  a 
little  conversation  with  them,  and  asked  Miss  Eleanor  whether 
she  suffered  from  mal  de  mer—sh.e  little  guessing  the  object 
of  the  enquiry.  He  went  on  to  Lord  Hill's  in  Skye,  and, 
while  there  learnt  from  his  host  that  a  ball  was  about  to  be 
given  at  Inverness,  at  which  he  felt  certain  the  Gough  party 
would  be  present.  He  left  Lord  Hill's  abruptly,  at  midnight, 
and  reached  Inverness  in  time  for  the  ball.  Here  he  states 
that  he  believes  he  for  the  first  time  directly  annoyed  Miss 
Arbuthnot  by  following  her  about  the  room.  He  says  he  had 
not  the  slightest  wish  to  offend  her,  but  could  not  help  himself. 
The  next  day  he  walked  twenty  Scotch  miles  to  Forres,  merely 
to  see  the  party  drive  past  on  their  way  to  a  Colonel  Grant's, 
where  they  were  to  stay.  At  Inverness  Mr.  Garden  first 
began  methodically  buying  all  those  things  which  he  thought 
would  conduce  to  the  comfort  of  his  expected  bride— clothes, 
shawls,  toilet  requisites,  boots  and  shoes,  and  everything  he 
could  think  of  that  she  might  require.  He  returned  once 
more  to  Barnane,  but  his  "  shadowing "  of  Eleanor  had 
evidently  deeply  offended  and  perhaps  alarmed  Mr.  Gough, 
who  on  24th  October  wrote  him  a  letter  from  St.  Helen's 
definitely  and  finally  forbidding  him  the  house.  Mr.  Garden  con- 
tinued his  preparations  and  next  proceeded  to  London,  where 
he  concluded  his  purchases,  laying  out  as  much  as  £500  in  one 
day.  He  also  bought  the  yacht  and  had  it  fitted  up  with  every 
possible  luxury  and  convenience — even  a  cot  swung  as  he 
had  seen  one  some  time  before  in  the  Queen's  yacht,  to  give 
relief  if  the  weather  were  rough.  Miss  Arbuthnot  was  indeed 
to  be  treated  like  a  queen.     An  old  and  trusted  maid  had  been 


396  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

engaged  and  was  to  share  her  cabin,  servants  from  Barnane 
whom  she  knew  were  placed  on  board,  and  everything  that 
love  and  forethought  could  do  to  soften  the  effect  of  the  initial 
act  of  violence  was  done  by  him.'  He  intended  himself  not 
to  see  her  at  all  during  the  voyage,  unless  by  her  express 
desire. 

Hearing  at  this  point  that  she  and  her  family  had  gone  to 
Paris,  he  followed  them  there  and  went  to  dine  in  their  hotel 
one  evening.  He  did  not  approach  them,  and  says  that  one 
of  -the  party,  catching  sight  of  him,  threw  a  very  indignant 
glance  in  his  direction.  Eleanor,  he  says,  never  understood 
him  or  his  feeling  for  her.  He  could  not  exist  away  from  her. 
Many  a  time  he  paced  up  and  down  in  the  snow  outside  their 
hotel,  and  sometimes  actually  ran  behind  their  carriage, 
merely  for  the  sake  of  being  near  her.  At  other  times  he  took 
soUtary  walks  round  Paris,  his  mind  brooding  on  his  sorrows 
and  on  the  wild  expedient  he  was  determined  to  resort  to. 
He  felt  a  great  attachment  to  her  brother  William,  merely 
because  he  knew  how  dearly  she  loved  him,  and  it  was  the 
fact  that  he  up  to  this  time  had  shown  no  special  antipathy 
towards  the  unfortunate  man  who  describes  himself  as  following 
the  woman  he  loved  with  the  mute,  instinctive  misery  of  an 
animal  which  has  been  robbed  of  its  young.* 

One  night,  at  the  Opera,  Mr.  Garden  ran  up  against  William 
Arbuthnot,  who  spoke  to  him  with  kindness  and  courtesy. 
Mr.  Garden  proposed  walking  home  together,  but  his  companion, 
having  a  carriage,  offered  him  a  lift  instead.  This  Mr.  Garden 
declined,  his  reason  being  characteristic.  He  would  not 
deceive  William  Arbuthnot,  and  as  he  now  definitely  contem- 
plated an  act  of  violence,  he  was  resolved  to  accept  nothing 
from  those  to  whom  he  was  about  to  do  an  injury.  He  parted 
from  this  loved  brother  with  regret,  and  shortly  afterwards 
returned  to  Barnane.  The  party  soon  reassembled  at  Rath- 
ronan  House,  and  all  preparations  were  now  completed  for 

'  "  All  was  done  that  the  most  anxious  care  and  thoughtfulness  could  suggest 
to  soften  the  rigours  of  an  ungentle  proceeding  and  to  place  the  lady  as  quickly 
as  possible  under  proper  and  efficient  protection."— Mr.  Garden's  statement, 
pubUshed  in  1858. 

»  Mr.  Wilham  Reierson  Arbuthnot,  in  later  life,  always  spoke  with  the  utmost 
kindness  of  Mr.  Garden,  generally  as  "  poor  Garden."  There  was  no  bitterness 
in  his  recollection  of  these  circumstances,  though,  undoubtedly,  the  two  men 
came  into  sharp  conflict  at  a  later  stage. 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       397 

the  final  attempt.  The  only  problem  was  the  initial  one  of 
seizing  Miss  Arbuthnot's  person,  and  it  was  no  easy  matter 
to  determine  how  this  could  best  be  done. 

At  this  point  Mr.  Garden  says  that  fate  seemed  to  interfere 
to  thwart  him,  almost  as  though,  from  some  unseen  source, 
a  strong  warning  was  being  conveyed  to  him.  Everything  was 
in  readiness  when  he  received  news  that  Miss  Arbuthnot  had 
met  with  an  accident.  She  had  been  thrown  from  her  horse, 
had  injured  her  ankle,  and  was  suffering  a  good  deal  of  pain. 
In  consequence  of  this  she  would  be  obliged  to  remain  indoors 
for  many  weeks.  This  accident  threw  Mr.  Garden  into  a 
frenzy  of  anxiety  on  her  account.  From  among  his  acquaint- 
ances he  collected  every  scrap  of  news  he  could  of  her  condi- 
tion. He  learnt  that  she  lay  all  day  on  a  sofa  and  that  her 
weakness  seemed  to  be  increasing.  He  tortured  himself  with 
the  mistaken  idea  that  she  was  not  being  properly  cared  for. 

At  this  point  Mr.  Garden's  one  friend  in  what  he  regarded 
as  the  hostile  camp,  Wilham  Arbuthnot,  took  his  departure 
for  India.  Mr.  Garden  states  that  but  for  her  accident  Eleanor 
would  have  accompanied  her  brother  as  far  as  Paris,  and,  had 
she  done  so,  the  catastrophe,  he  declares,  could  never  have 
taken  place.  Wilham  Arbuthnot  was  gentle  and  placable 
like  his  sister,  and  Mr.  Garden  was  convinced  that  he  would 
have  been  allowed  to  see  her  occasionally,  which  was  all  he 
asked.  He  expressly  states  that,  had  he  been  allowed  to 
associate  with  her — even  in  the  most  restricted  way — he  never 
would  have  resorted  to  the  act  of  violence  which  has  been  so 
much  misunderstood.  He  still  struggled  against  the  necessity 
(as  he  conceived  it)  of  resorting  to  force.  He  made  one  more 
overture  to  Mr.  Gough.  On  the  5th  March  he  presented  him- 
self at  Rathronan  again,  but  was  sternly  denied  admittance. 
He  turned  away  from  the  house  with  bitterness  and  defiance 
in  his  heart. 

All  was  ready,  and  Mr.  Garden  waited  for  his  opportunity. 
Weeks  passed  in  this  terrible  suspense,  while  Eleanor  made  a 
slow  and  painful  recovery.  It  was  now  decided  that  Mrs. 
Gough  should  take  her  to  Paris,  to  see  a  surgeon  there.  This 
caused  another  postponement.  The  day  they  started  Mr. 
Garden  rode  down  to  the  station,  and  was  rewarded  by  a  few 
kind  words  from  Miss  Eleanor,  who  was  lying  at  full  length 


398  MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

on  the  seat  of  the  carriage,  Mrs.  Gough  being  with  her.  She 
raised  her  head  and  answered  his  enquiries  kindly  and  gently. 
He  rode  straight  on  to  Clonmel  and  had  a  final  interview 
with  Mr.  Gough,  entreating  to  be  allowed  to  resume  friendly 
relations.  As  he  must  have  anticipated,  his  request  was 
refused.  He  returned  home  with  a  dead-weight  at  his  heart. 
He  had  clutched  at  one  last  straw  to  save  himself  and  her, 
and  he  saw  himself  now  being  swept  forwards  towards  the 
rapids.  By  his  own  account,  he  wrote  a  passionate  and  intem- 
perate letter  to  Mr.  Gough  at  this  time,  demanding  for  the  last 
time  to  be  treated  as  a  friend,  and,  evidently  under  the  im- 
pression that  his  motives  were  misunderstood,  declared  himself 
ready,  if  Eleanor  should  ever  marry  him,  to  surrender  her 
fortune  to  her  relations.  The  effect  of  this  rather  injudicious 
letter  can  only  have  been  to  confirm  Eleanor's  family  in  the 
instinctive  prejudice  they  felt  against  Mr.  Garden. 

Perhaps  we  need  hardly  say  that  his  next  move  was  to  go 
to  Paris,  where  he  refrained  from  calling,  for  fear  of  annoying 
any  of  the  party.  He  returned  to  Barnane  by  sea,  in  his 
yacht,  reaching  Galway  on  the  21st  June,  1854.  The  sisters, 
he  knew,  were  expected  at  Rathronan  within  the  next  few 
days.  All  was  ready,  and  he  did  not  anticipate  that  any 
circumstance  would  now  intervene  to  frustrate  him.  It 
crossed  his  mind  that  in  the  agitation  caused  by  the  forcible 
seizure,  Eleanor  might  faint  or  have  an  attack  of  hysterics, 
and  "  as  I  was  afraid  I  would,  under  the  circumstances,  be 
unable  to  give  up  the  young  lady  to  the  first  doctor,  I  thought 
it  best  to  get  some  advice  on  the  subject."  With  this  idea, 
Mr.  Garden,  the  day  following  his  return,  went  to  see  his 
usual  medical  attendant.  Dr.  Forsyth.  Ghatting  with  him 
in  the  garden,  Mr.  Garden  mentioned  casually  that  a  lady 
friend  of  his  was  subject  to  hysterical  fits,  and  asked,  "  Are 
they  dangerous  ?  "  "He  said  '  Yes.'  I  said,  '  Gould  they 
kill  a  person  ?  '  He  replied,  '  Something  near  it.'  '  What's 
the  best  thing  for  them  ?  '  I  enquired.  '  Ghloroform,'  said 
he.  I  asked  the  quantities.  '  Twenty  drops  in  water,' 
was  the  reply,  '  or  .  .  .  thirty  drops  applied  externally.' 
He  took  his  pocket-handkerchief  out,  rolled  it  up  deliberately 
and  showed  me  how  to  hold  it  and  remarked  that  it  should  be 
held  at  a  distance,  if  insensibility  was  not  to  be  produced,  for 


GEORGE  ARBUTHNOT  OF  ELDERSIJE   399 

the  purpose  of  admitting  atmospheric  air.  ...  So  particular 
was  I  about  the  quantity,  that  I  placed  a  gutta  percha  band 
round  a  glass,  so  as  to  mark  precisely  the  necessary  quantity, 
fearing  that  the  rolling  of  the  carriage  would  prevent  my 
dropping  it  accurately,"  etc 

By  Wednesday,  28th  June,  Mr.  Garden's  plans  were  all 
complete,  down  to  the  smallest  detail,  relays  of  horses  posted 
along  the  route  to  the  Galway  coast,  and  his  accomplices 
(tenants  from  his  estate)  instructed  in  their  parts.  No  one 
knew  better  than  he  the  movements  of  the  ladies  at  Rathronan, 
and  he  was  aware  that  on  Wednesdays  they  were  in  the  habit 
of  driving  to  church  at  Fethard,  a  distance  of  seven  or  eight 
miles.  It  happened  that  on  this  particular  Wednesday 
Eleanor  stayed  at  home  with  Mrs.  Gough,  while  Laura  and  Miss 
Lyndon,  the  governess,  were  driven  to  Fethard.  On  the  way 
home  they  passed  Mr.  Cardan  on  horseback  and  noticed  a 
carriage  standing  near  and  some  rough-looking  men  hanging 
about,  but  of  course  had  no  suspicion  as  to  the  meaning  of 
these  facts. 

The  next  day  the  Annual  Flower  Show  took  place  at 
Clonmel. 

Mr.  Garden  attended  it,  and  so  did  the  party  from  Rathronan 
House.  This  is  Eleanor's  own  account  of  their  meeting,  given 
in  her  evidence  at  the  trial  : 

"  He  came  to  me  and  said  '  How  d'ye  do  '  ;  I  bowed  to 
him  ;  he  then  asked  me  how  my  sister  was  and  I  said  '  Quite 
well.'     After  this  he  turned  away  and  left  me.     I  think  it 

'  Mr.  Garden's  statement  in  court,  31st  July,  1854,  before  sentence  was 
passed.  Not  unnaturally,  the  fact  that  Mr.  Garden,  when  arrested,  was  found 
to  be  in  possession  of  two  bottles  of  chloroform,  made  a  most  unfortunate  impres- 
sion. Dr.  Forsyth,  a  nervous  man,  was  much  discomposed  by  his  cross-examination 
with  regard  to  this  interview  with  Mr.  Garden.  He  admitted  having  prescribed 
as  above,  and  Gounsel  proceeded  to  torment  him  as  follows  : — 

"  You  did  not  ask  him  for  whom  he  intended  these  things  ?  ,' 

"  I  did  not." 

"  Which  did  you  think  it  would  be,  right  or  wrong,  to  ask  him  ?  " 

"  I  formed  no  idea  about  it.  I  did  not  wish  to  pry  into  any  matter  of  the 
kind." 

"  What  did  you  mean  by  that — had  you  any  suspicion  ?  " 

"  Not  the  most  remote." 

"  Then  why  did  you  use  the  word  '  pry  '  ?  " 

"  From  his  position  and  rank  in  society,  I  did  not  wish  to  ask  questions." 

"  You  thought  his  rank  entitled  him  to  administer  drugs  to  a  lady  ?  " 

"No." 


400  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

was  about  3  o'clock  on  that  day  that  I  saw  him.  I  remained 
at  the  Flower  Show  till  5  o'clock,  and  then  returned  home  ; 
I  did  not  see  Mr.  Garden  from  that  day  until  the  Sunday 
afterwards."  ' 

The  following  Sunday,  2nd  July,  Eleanor,  with  her  two 
sisters  and  Miss  Lyndon,  attended  service  at  Rathronan 
Church.  As  they  went  in  they  saw  Mr.  Garden  "  loitering  " 
in  the  churchyard.  He  had  driven  into  Cashel  the  night  before 
and  taken  a  room  at  Shearn's  Hotel.  His  presence  roused  no 
surprise,  his  eccentric  pursuit  of  Eleanor  being  now  accepted 
as  a  matter  of  course.  He  followed  the  ladies  into  the  church 
and  took  his  place  quietly  among  the  congregation.  His 
demeanour  showed  nothing  unusual,  and  he  is  said  to  have 
appeared  most  "  attentive  and  collected  "  during  the  service. 
In  the  meantime  a  brougham,  drawn  by  two  thoroughbreds, 
had  drawn  up  near  the  Rathronan  gate,  distant  about  a  mile 
from  the  church,  and  "  six  strange  men  were  noticed  as 
loitering  about,  having  apparently  no  particular  business  in 
the  neighbourhood." ' 

It  was  Sacrament  Sunday,  and  the  ladies  remained  for  the 
second  service.  Mr.  Garden  came  out  of  the  church,  and, 
mounting  his  horse,  rode  away  in  the  direction  of  Rathronan 
House,  towards  the  spot  where  his  brougham  and  his  men 
were  stationed. 

A  few  drops  of  rain  had  fallen  during  the  service,  and  to 
this  circumstance  Eleanor  Arbuthnot  undoubtedly  owed  her 
providential  escape.  They  had  driven  to  church  in  an 
open  car,  but,  owing  to  the  rain,  Mr.  Gough's  coachman, 
Dwyer,  decided  to  drive  back  to  Rathronan  while  the  service 
was  still  in  progress  and  exchange  the  car  for  a  closed  carriage. 
This  simple  circumstance  threw  out  all  Mr.  Garden's  carefuUy 
planned  arrangements.  Every  detail  of  the  plan  was  complete. 
The  route  to  the  coast  chosen  by  him  was  one  on  which  a 
pursuing  party  would  not  have  been  able  to  procure  fresh 
relays  of  horses,  and  would  have  been  absolutely  powerless 
to  overtake  him.  The  one  small  preliminary  of  forcibly 
conveying  Eleanor  into  his  brougham  only  needed  accomplish- 
ment to  crown  his  plans  with  success.  And  James  Dwyer 
with  his  closed  car  threw  out  all  his  calculations.    Had  Eleanor 

'  Clonmel  Chronicle,  29th  July,  1854.  »  The  Times,  6th  July,  1854. 


GEORGE  ARBUTHNOT  OF  ELDERSLIE   401 

been  seated  in  an  open  car,  there  could  not  have  been  the 
sUghtest  difficulty  in  carrying  her  off. 

Service  over,  the  sisters,  with  Miss  Lyndon,  climbed 
into  the  closed  car,  which  immediately  drove  off  towards 
Rathronan  House.  As  they  drew  near  the  gates  Laura 
exclaimed,  "  Mr.  Garden  is  coming,"  and  the  next  moment  he 
rode  past,  as  though  returning  to  the  church.  Hardly  had 
he  passed  them  than  he  wheeled  his  horse  round  sharply  and 
followed  close  behind  the  car,  without  addressing  a  word  to 
its  occupants.  Even  this  excited  no  wonder.  It  was  merely 
a  nuisance  and  would  be  over  in  a  few  minutes. 

All  at  once  the  car  stopped  with  a  jerk.  Three  men  had 
dashed  out,  as  it  appeared  from  nowhere,  two  of  them  had 
seized  the  horse's  head,  while  a  third,  Rainsberry  by  name 
and  known  to  be  a  man  from  the  Barnane  estate,  severed  the 
reins  with  a  clasp  knife. 

Unable  to  control  his  horse,  Dwyer  sprang  from  the  box  and 
rushed  forward  to  seize  its  head,  but  was  ordered  back  by  one 
of  the  hired  ruffians,  who  threatened  him  with  a  knife  and  dared 
him  to  advance  a  step  further. 

In  the  meantime  Mr.  Garden  had  dismounted,  and,  heedless 
of  the  screams  of  the  terrified  ladies,  now  alive  to  their  danger, 
presented  himself  at  the  back  of  the  car.  Luck  was  against 
him.  Eleanor  was  neither  of  the  two  who  sat  nearest  the 
door.  She  was  seated  on  the  right,  with  Miss  Lyndon  between 
her  and  Mr.  Garden.  On  the  other  side  Mrs.  Gough  sat 
nearest  to  him,  with  Laura  beyond.  Leaning  across  Miss 
Lyndon,  he  seized  Eleanor  by  the  wrist  and  tried  to  drag 
her  out.  Instantly  a  wild  struggle  began,  Miss  Lyndon  especi- 
ally distinguishing  herself.  She  struck  Mr.  Garden  violently 
and  repeatedly  in  the  face,  till  the  blood  flowed.  Maddened 
with  pain,  he  realized  that  he  must  first  deal  with  her.  Releas- 
ing Eleanor,  he  seized  Miss  Lyndon  by  the  waist  and  dragged 
her  from  the  car.  Perhaps  it  was  at  this  moment  that  his 
men  concluded  that  Miss  Lyndon  was  the  object  of  his  attempt, 
for  Mr.  Garden  states  that,  owing  to  a  mistake  of  his  men, 
he  narrowly  escaped  abducting  the  governess,  which  he  says 
would  indeed  have  been  retributive  justice  !  At  this  moment 
Dwyer  rushed  round  from  the  front  of  the  car,  and  a  fierce 
fight  began  between  him  and  one  or  two  of  Mr.  Garden's 
26 


402  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

retainers.  The  struggle  with  Miss  Lyndon  had  caused  a  delay, 
the  shouts  and  screams  had  given  the  alarm,  and  two  men, 
McGrath  and  Smithwick, — employees  of  Mr.  Gough's — ran 
up  and  threw  themselves  with  full  Irish  ardour  into  the  fray.' 

Most  of  Mr.  Garden's  prowess  had  to  be  directed  against 
the  ladies.  Mrs.  Gough,  who  was  in  delicate  health  at  the 
time,  and  to  whom  violence  might  easily  have  proved  fatal, 
got  out  of  the  car  as  best  she  could  and  in  a  state  of  agitation 
that  one  can  well  picture.  It  was  doubtless  at  this  moment 
that  she  said  to  Mr.  Garden,  "  Do  you  mean  to  destroy  us 
all  ?  "  and  he  answered,  "  I  do  not  want  to  touch  you,  Mrs. 
Gough,"  adding,  "  I  know  I  shall  be  hanged  for  this."  As- 
tounded and  terrified,  Mrs.  Gough  turned  and  hurried  up  the 
drive,  calling  loudly  for  help  as  she  ran. 

Mr.  Garden  returned  to  the  car,  where  Laura,  who  struggled 
to  defend  her  sister  in  the  most  determined  manner,  had  next 
to  be  disposed  of.  He  succeeded  in  dragging  her  out,  but  her 
struggles  were  so  violent  that  they  both  fell  to  the  ground. 
Mr.  Garden  was  first  on  his  feet  and  ran  back  to  the  car, 
where  only  the  terrified  Eleanor  now  remained.  Then  followed 
the  climax — his  brief  struggle  with  the  girl  who,  by  no  will  of 
her  own,  had  somehow  changed  him  from  an  ordinary,  law- 
abiding  citizen  into  a  reckless  madman.  He  was  heard  to 
exclaim  several  times,  "  Eleanor,  it  is  you  I  want  !  "  but  the 
appeal  fell  on  deaf  ears.  There  was  no  mistake  about  Eleanor's 
vehement  resistance  to  her  capture.  She  held  fast  to  a  strap 
until  it  broke,  and  then  struggled  and  kicked  Mr.  Garden  with 
all  her  force.  Nevertheless,  he  had  almost  lifted  her  out,  her 
feet  only  remaining  in  the  car,  when  he  was  half  stunned  by 
a  violent  blow  on  the  side  of  the  head.  He  replaced  Eleanor 
in  the  car,  and  stood  back  for  a  moment,  a  little  dazed. 
Recovering  himself,  he  pointed  to  Eleanor,  calling  out  to  his 
men,  "  Take  that  one,  don't  mind  the  others  !  "  Rainsberry 
rushed  forward  and  seized  her  very  roughly, — her  dress  being 
torn  in  the  struggle  that  ensued, — but  was  pulled  off  by 
Dwyer,  who  now,  to  his  relief,  saw  reinforcements  appearing. 
Mr.  Garden  saw  them  too,  and,  in  the  excitement  and  morti- 

'  John  McGrath  afterwards  gave  evidence  as  follows  : — "  When  first  they 
were  attacked,  I  heard  the  ladies  scream  terribly,  and  they  made  a  great  resistance 
entirely  ;  I  saw  their  hands  outside  the  car,  shoving  Mr.  Garden  back  from  it," 
etc. 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       403 

fication  of  failure,  shouted  to  his  men  :  "  Cowards,  why 
don't  you  fire  ?  " — a  circumstance  that  told  heavily  against 
him  at  his  trial." 

Others  of  Mr.  Cough's  men  were  now  running  up.  Another 
moment,  and  the  assailants  would  have  been  hopelessly  out- 
numbered. Mr.  Garden  sprang  on  to  his  horse  and  rode  off  in 
the  direction  of  Templemore,  followed  by  the  brougham. 
He  had  not  gone  very  far  before,  feeling  faint,  he  was  obliged 
to  dismount  and  enter  the  carriage,  which  proceeded  on  its 
way  at  full  gallop. 

Meanwhile  the  news  spread  like  wildfire.  From  every 
direction  the  neighbouring  gentry  hurried  to  Rathronan, 
to  offer  their  condolences  and  sympathy.  The  police  hurried 
in  from  Cashel,  were  promptly  mounted  on  Mr.  Gough's 
swiftest  horses,  and  dashed  off  in  pursuit.  Then  followed  one 
of  the  most  exciting  chases  ever  heard  of  in  Tipperary.  Mr. 
Garden  had  a  full  hour's  start.  It  was  surmised  that  he  would 
take  the  Templemore  road,  and  make  for  Barnane.  Mr. 
Alexander  Sullivan,  who  has  so  graphically  described  the  whole 
incident  in  his  New  Ireland,  happened  to  be  standing 
with  some  friends  at  the  gateway  of  Holy  Gross  Abbey, 
examining  some  ancient  sculptures,  when,  to  their  surprise, 
a  mounted  police  orderly  dashed  past,  his  horse  covered  with 
foam  and  dust,  and  a  moment  later  vanished  in  the  distance. 
The  party  speculated  as  to  what  could  have  happened,  and 
very  naturally  concluded  that  another  landlord  had  been  shot, 
and  that  the  pohce  were  hunting  the  murderer.  What  was 
their  amazement  shortly  afterwards  to  learn  that  it  was  a 
landlord  who  was  the  quarry, — "  one  of  the  magnates  of  the 
county,  a  great  landlord,  a  grand  juror,  magistrate,  deputy- 
lieutenant  !  " 

After  a  mad  race  of  twenty  miles,  which  were  covered  by 
Mr.  Garden's  carriage  at  such  a  rate  that,  with  his  hour's 
start,  he  would  have  out-distanced  his  pursurers,  had  not  the 
bad  state  of  the  road  at  last  tired  out  his  horses,  the  mounted 
poUce  came  up  with  the  carriage  at  Farney  Bridge,  and  "  the 
sub-inspector,  with  his  men,  dashed  forward.  Mr.  McGullagh 
at  once  seized  the  horses'  heads  and  ran  them  into  the  ditch, 

'  In  the  letter  we  have  mentioned  Mr.  Garden  says  that  he  had  only  provided 
the  firearms  in  order  to  shoot  the  horses  of  a  pursuing  party,  if  required. 


404  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARRUTHNOTS 

while  the  constables  drew  their  swords  and  prepared  for  the 
encounter.  Two  men  jumped  from  the  dickey  of  the  carriage 
and  showed  fight,  but  one  was  immediately  knocked  heels 
over  head  by  the  fiat  edge  of  a  sabre.  Any  resistance  on  the 
part  of  the  pursued  was  speedily  terminated  by  the  fact 
that  a  police  barrack  was  within  a  stone's  throw  of  where  they 
were  overtaken,  and  the  force  having  turned  out  to  the  aid  of 
their  comrades,  Mr.  Garden  and  his  men  surrendered,  were 
disarmed  and  marched  prisoners  back  to  Cashel."  ' 

As  the  carriage  turned  back  towards  Cashel,  one  of  Mr. 
Garden's  beautiful  horses,  worth  £150,  dropped  to  the  ground, 
dead  with  fatigue. 

Reaching  the  county  gaol,  Mr.  Garden,  who  "  leaped  lightly 
from  the  vehicle,"  was  given  into  the  custody  of  the  governor. 
We  read  that  "  a  large  crowd  was  collected  round  the  prison 
door,  and  the  women  especially  expressed  their  sympathy 
with  him,  as  one  who  loved  not  wisely  but  too  well." 

The  following  day,  Monday,  3rd  July,  "  several  of  the 
gentry  visited  Mr.  Garden  in  prison." 

No  words  can  describe  the  sensation  created  when  the 
affair  became  known,  or  the  excited  headlines  of  the  papers 
announcing  the  incredible  fact.  It  was  many  a  long  day 
since  either  Irish  or  English  journalists  had  had  such  "  copy," 
and  they  made  the  most  of  it. 

Freeman's  Journal  opined  that  Mr.  Garden  could  only 
have  been  prompted  to  such  an  outrage  by  actual  lunacy, 
and  that  he  "  stands  more  in  need  of  a  straightwaistcoat  than 
of  a  wife,"  while  The  Times  (in  words  to  which  the  prisoner's 
counsel  took  exception  at  the  trial  as  having  prejudiced  his 
client's  case)  remarked  that  "  For  years  past,  no  event  of 
a  non-political  cast  has  created  greater  excitement  than  the 
adventurous  attempt  of  the  lord  of  Barnane  to  possess  himself, 
by  means  beyond  the  pale  of  the  law,  of  a  bride  endowed 
with  all  those  requisites,  personal  and  pecuniary,  which  are 
but  too  frequently  irresistible  for  the  philosophy  of  the  Geltic 
temperament." 

The  public  had  not  long  to  wait  for  the  further  excitement 
of  the  trial,  for  the  summer  assizes  were  due  to  come  on  at 
Clonmel  the  end  of  that  month.      As  the  day  approached  the 

'  The  Times.  6th  July,  1854. 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE        405 

tension  and  excitement  in  the  neighbourhood  became  extreme. 
"  The  assizes  for  the  South  Riding  of  Tipperary  were  opened 
yesterday  at  Clonmel,"  writes  The  Times  correspondent, 
"  with  an  air  of  bustle  and  excitement  to  which  that  rather 
dull  town  has  been  wholly  a  stranger  ever  since  the  trial  of 
Mr.  Smith  O'Brien  and  other  actors  in  the  guilty  follies  of 
1848.  For  two  days  previous  the  '  gentry  '  had  been  pouring 
into  town,  and  the  unhappy  High  Sheriff '  was  literally  over- 
whelmed with  applications  for  admission  to  the  Court-house, 
while,  almost  as  a  matter  of  course,  the  fair  sex  display  the 
deepest  interest  in  the  result  of  the  trial."  = 

The  day  of  the  trial — the  28th  of  July — having  arrived, 
"  the  greatest  excitement  prevailed.  Long  before  the  hour 
named  for  opening  the  court,  the  continued  rolling  of  carriages 
towards  the  Court-House  evinced  the  anxiety  of  all  parties 
to  be  present  at  this  extraordinary  trial,  and  no  sooner  were 
the  doors  opened,  than  the  galleries  were  immediately  filled 
with  ladies  whose  varied  attires  presented  a  rather  picturesque 
and  unusual  appearance  in  a  court  of  justice.  Lord  Gough, 
the  Hon.  Captain  Gough,  the  Mess'^-  Arbuthnot  and  several 
members  of  the  family  of  the  young  lady  were  present ;  and  Sir 
John  Craven  Carden,  R.  M.  Carden,  Esq.,  J. P.,  of  Fishmoyne, 
with  many  of  the  friends  of  the  accused,  watched  the  progress 
of  the  trial  with  the  deepest  interest."  3 

At  length.  Judge  Ball  having  taken  his  seat  on  the  bench, 
and  silence  being  commanded,  the  court  ordered  John  Carden  to 
be  placed  at  the  bar.  All  eyes — especially,  we  are  told,  "  those 
in  the  gallery  " — were  immediately  turned  towards  the  door 
from  which  the  prisoner  was  to  enter,  "  in  order,"  says  the 
Clonmel  Chronicle,  "  as  we  suppose,  to  see  how  the  prisoner  would 
bear  up  under  the  pressure  of  his  unhappy  circumstances." 

"  At  length  the  prisoner  appeared,  and  walked  with  a 
firm  step  to  the  bar,  before  which  he  stood  with  a  placid 
countenance  and  folded  arms." 

The  clerk  of  the  Crown  then  addressed  him  as  follows  : 

"  John  Carden,  you  stand  indicted  for  that  you,  on  the 
2nd  of  July,  in  the  18th  year  of  the  Queen,  at  Rathronan,  did 

'  Mr.  George  Massy-Dawson.  J  The  Times,  29th  July,   1854. 

3   Tipperary  Free  Press,  29th  July,  1854. 


406  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

unlawfully  and  by  force  take  away  Eleanor  Louisa 
Arbuthnot,  with  intent  that  you  should  marry  her  against  her 
consent.  .  .  .  How  do  you  say,  are  you  guilty  or  not  guilty  ?  " 

The  prisoner,  "  in  a  mild  tone  of  voice,"  pleaded  "  Not 
Guilty." 

The  Attorney-General  then  proceeded  to  open  his  case. 
It  had  been  decided  by  the  Crown  to  charge  the  prisoner  with 
actual  abduction,  the  punishment  for  which  was  transportation 
for  life.  It  was  argued  that  as  Eleanor  had,  to  all  intents 
and  purposes,  been  removed  from  the  car,  a  technical  abduction 
had  taken  place.  If  this  should  break  down,  he  was  to  be 
charged  alternatively  with  attempted  abduction,  and  at  the  last 
moment  a  further  charge,  of  "  felonious  assault  "  upon  Smith- 
wick,  who  had  been  somewhat  seriously  hurt,  was  put  forward. 
The  latter  charge,  which,  if  proved,  would  also  have  involved 
transportation,  was  generally  resented.  It  was  felt  that  the 
Crown  was  overdoing  its  case,  and  that  the  proceedings 
savoured  of  persecution.  The  prisoner's  plea  of  "  Not  Guilty  " 
was  in  answer  to  the  first  charge.  To  the  alternative  he 
pleaded  "  Guilty,"  to  the  last  indictment  "  Not  Guilty." 
The  Attorney-General,  with  great  solemnity,  called  attention 
to  the  undisputed  fact  that  Mr.  Garden  belonged  to  the  higher 
ranks  of  society.  "  Gentlemen,  it  is  a  most  deplorable  thing 
to  see  a  person  in  the  condition  of  the  prisoner  at  the  bar  stand 
there !  "  He  went  on  to  make  the  illuminating  remark 
that  "  Perhaps  one  of  the  causes  which  have  maintained 
the  distinction  of  ranks  in  this  country  has  been  what  I 
may  call  the  immunity  from  crime  in  its  aristocracy, — its 
higher  orders."  He  described  Mr.  Garden's  former  intimacy 
with  Mr.  Gough's  familJ^  and  went  on  to  say  that 
"  after  some  time,  and  without  having  paid  any  such  marked 
attentions  to  his  sister-in-law  as  might  have  warranted 
him  in  such  a  step,  it  would  appear  that  Mr.  Garden 
proposed  for  her,  and  that  his  proposal  was  rejected  with  indig- 
nation," etc.  He  then  went  through  all  the  circumstances 
leading  up  to  the  attempt,  maintaining  that  Mr.  Garden  was 
actuated  by  spite  and  pique  owing  to  his  proposal  having  been 
refused,  and  insisting  very  strongly  on  the  danger  to  Mrs. 
Gough  from  a  violent  scene  of  the  sort. 

The  witnesses  were  then  called. 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       407 

It  must  have  been  a  dramatic  moment  when  Eleanor 
Arbuthnot  was  led  forward  to  give  her  evidence  against  the 
prisoner.  She  was  at  this  time  twenty  years  of  age,  and  is 
described  as  being  "  pale  and  rather  good-looking,"  and  as 
being  "  dressed  in  a  striped  silk  dress,  black  silk  visite, 
plain  straw  bonnet  trimmed  with  blue  ribbon,  and  a  black 
veil."'  This  was  the  moment  the  prisoner  had  been  longing 
for.  During  the  long  hours  in  Clonmel  gaol  he  had  been 
comforted  with  the  thought  of  seeing  her  "  sweet  face  "  in 
court.  He  wrote  upon  a  slip  of  paper  "  Do  not  trouble  her," 
and  handed  it  to  his  counsel.  Then  he  gave  himself  up  to 
the  luxury  of  watching  her,  even  if  only  for  ten  minutes.  He 
says  that  he  compared  time  with  eternity  at  that  moment,  and 
ten  minutes  with  a  life.  He  says  the  pleasure  he  felt  in  hearing 
her  voice,  so  soft,  innocent  and  natural,  cannot  be  conceived. 
He  saw  that  part  of  the  trimming  on  her  dress  trembled — 
whether  from  the  draught  or  from  hidden  agitation  he  could  not 
tell. 

Eleanor  related  how  she  had  "  kicked  "  Mr.  Garden,  how 
he  had  seized  her  wrists,  how  they  were  "  bruised  from  the 
effects  of  the  dragging,"  how  she  had  struggled  with  Rainsberry, 
and  how  Dwyer  had  come  to  her  assistance.  In  answer  to 
a  question,  she  stated  that  she  "  had  never  encouraged  Mr. 
Garden."  Her  cross-examination  consisted  of  a  few  courteous 
questions  from  prisoner's  counsel,  who  easily  induced  her  to 
say  that  she  had  "  successfully  resisted  "  Mr.  Garden's  attempt 
to  drag  her  from  the  car.  This  was  of  importance  for  the 
sake  of  proving  that  the  abduction  had  not  actually  taken 
place,  and  it  was,  indeed,  sufficiently  obvious  that  Mr.  Garden 
had  failed  in  his  object. 

The  Attorney-General  then  proceeded  to  argue  that  the 
crime  of  abduction  had  actually  been  committed.  He  said 
that  if  Miss  Arbuthnot  "  had  been  taken  to  Farna-castle, 
it  would  have  been  an  abduction  ;  the  same  would  have  been 
the  case  if  she  were  only  taken  to  Fethard,  and  so  back  to 
the  door  of  the  car.  He  could  not  see  where  the  line  of  distinc- 
tion was  to  be  drawn." 

In  reply,  prisoner's  Counsel  contended  that  no  abduction 
had  taken  place.     He  made  no  attempt  to  palliate  the  act 

'  Tipperary  Free  Press,  29th  July,  1854. 


408  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

in  any  way,  and  said  that  "  even  the  young  lady  herself  must 
many  times  since  the  occurrence  have  returned  thanks  to  God 
that  the  attempt  had  been  unsuccessful,"  etc 

The  Grand  Jury,  consisting  entirely  of  Mr.  Garden's  neigh- 
bours and  friends,  found  him  "Not  Guilty  "  of  abduction, 
but  "  Guilty  "  of  attempted  abduction. 

On  Monday,  31st  July,  the  last  charge,  that  of  "  felonious 
assault  "  was  heard.  As  has  been  said,  a  good  deal  of  indignation 
was  generally  felt  with  regard  to  the  proceedings  at  this  point, 
and  when  the  jury,  after  a  very  brief  retirement,  gave  their 
verdict  of  "  Not  Guilty  "  an  extraordinary  scene  took  place 
in  court.  The  verdict  "  was  received  with  loud  cheers,  and 
many  of  the  ladies  in  the  gallery  enthusiastically  waved  their 
handkerchiefs.  As  soon  as  the  result  of  the  trial  was  made 
known  outside  the  court-house,  where  a  large  crowd  had 
assembled,  three  vociferous  cheers  were  given  for  Garden  of 
Barnane."  = 

Mr.  Garden  was  now  informed  that  he  was  about  to 
be  sentenced  for  the  attempted  abduction,  and  he  asked 
leave  to  make  a  short  statement.  In  a  voice  "  tremulous 
with  emotion "  Mr.  Garden  then  addressed  the  court  as 
follows  : 

"  I  wish  to  make  a  few  observations,  my  Lord,  but,  in 
what  I  have  to  say,  I  do  not  by  any  means  attempt  to  dis- 
claim or  palliate  the  heinous  crime  I  have  committed,  nor 
do  I  wish  for  a  moment  to  attempt  by  any  language  of  mine 
to  influence  the  Gourt  in  the  amount  of  punishment  which 
it  may  be  thought  fit  to  visit  upon  me.  I  have  a  very  strong 
feeling  that  the  judges  of  the  land  are  just  and  impartial, 
and,  therefore,  prior  to  your  Lordship  commencing  those 
strictures — which  must  be  of  a  grave  character — I  do  wish 
to  impress  upon  you,  under  the  most  solemn  asseveration, 
that  three  of  the  positions  which  were  made  by  the  Attorney- 
General  in  his  opening  speech  against  me,  and  which  no  doubt 
were  briefed  to  him,  are  absolutely  and  positively  untrue. 
The  first  is,  that  I  was  influenced  in  this  attempt  by  any  degree 
of  malice  either  towards  the  young  lady  herself  or  any  member 
of  her  family.     Secondly,  that   I  had  the  slightest  idea  or 

»  The  Times,  31st  July,  1854.  »  The  Times,  2nd  August,  1854. 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE        409 

knowledge  in  the  world  of  the  delicate  state  of  health  of  Mrs. 
Gough  ;  and  the  third  is  that  which  I  would  disclaim  with 
the  deepest  indignation,  that  I  had  the  remotest  intention 
of  using  any  of  those  drugs  whatsoever  for  the  production  of 
stupefying  effects,  or  the  production  of  any  effect  inconsistent 
with  the  dictates  of  common  humanity.  My  Lord,  as  to  the 
first,  the  maUce  and  hatred  towards  Miss  E.  Arbuthnot  or 
any  member  of  her  family, — every  person  who  is  acquainted 
with  me  is  aware  of  the  feeling  which  I  have  for  some  time 
held  towards  that  young  lady,  and  it  is  hardly  necessary  for 
me  now  to  observe  upon  it.  Not  only  towards  her,  but  with 
respect  to  any  member  of  her  family,  I  solemnly  avow  that 
I  was  not  influenced  by  any  such  feeling  ;  and  at  this  moment 
no  such  feeling  has  possession  of  my  mind.  It  is  perfectly 
true  that  at  one  time,  when  angry  with  Mr.  Gough,  I  expressed 
myself  towards  him  in  that  manner  ;  but  I  now  say  that  the 
attempt — the  criminal  attempt — which  I  have  made  and 
failed  in,  arose  out  of  no  such  motive  ;  and  even  now  I  do  not 
blame  Mr.  Gough  in  the  shghtest  degree.  .  .  I  now  lay  down 
all  anger  at  once  and  for  ever.  Mr.  Gough  ought  to  know 
that  malice  or  hatred  is  not  congenial  to  my  mind  ;  for  it  is 
well  known  that  my  career  has  been  a  terrible  one.  And 
I  do  attribute  it  to  that  circumstance,  that  I  never  bear 
malice  towards  any  person  opposed  to  me.  I  do  believe  it  is 
attributable  to  that.'  And  now  that  that  career  is  brought 
to  a  close,  standing,  as  I  do,  in  this  disgraceful  position,  I 
do  feel  there  is  not  a  single  person  in  this  great  county  who  will 
exult  in  my  downfall."  (Sensation.)  With  regard  to  Mrs. 
Gough's  ill-health,  Mr.  Garden  went  on  to  say  that  he  had  not 
the  slightest  knowledge  of  it,  adding  :  "  Had  I  providentially 
known  it,  it  certainly  would  have  forbid  me  to  make  any  such 
criminal  attempt.  .  .  ." 

Mr.  Garden  then  went  on  to  relate  the  details  of  his  interview 
with  Dr.  Forsyth,  which  has  already  been  related,  adding, 
"  Perhaps,  under  the  circumstances,  I  had  better  not  detain 
your  Lordship  with  any  further  observations."  The  judge 
having  expressed   his   wiUingness   to  hear   anything   further 

'  Mr.  Garden's  meaning  here  is  not  quite  clear,  and  it  is  obvious  that  the 
reporter  must  have  omitted  a  sentence  or  part  of  a  sentence. — See  The  Times, 
2nd  August,  1854. 


410  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

Mr.  Garden  might  have  to   say,  he   concluded  his  statement 
as  follows  : 

"  It  would  have  been  gratifying  to  me  to  make  you  ac- 
quainted with  the  details  of  my  plan,  for  this  reason,  that  it 
would  have  convinced  your  Lordship  that  no  such  allegations 
could  with  truth  be  brought  forward  against  me  ;  but  it 
would  be  indecorous  for  me  to  relate  any  story  which  might 
by  some  be  attributed  to  a  wish  on  my  part  to  put  myself 
forward  as  the  hero  of  a  romantic  tale,  when  I  feel  I  stand 
here  as  a  criminal  for  having  outraged  the  law  of  my 
country." 

Judge  Ball  then  pronounced  sentence  as  follows  : 

"  John  Garden,  you  have  been  found  guilty  of  an  attempt 
to  commit  a  felony,  hardly,  in  a  single  instance,  known  to  have 
been  perpetrated  by  any  person  of  the  class  of  society  to  which 
you  belong,  within  the  present  century,  in  this  country ;  an 
attempt  to  carry  away  by  force  a  lady  against  her  consent 
and  with  the  intent  to  marry  her.  It  is  well  known  that  down 
to  the  close  of  the  last  century,  the  lawless  habits  and  disposi- 
tion of  a  portion  of  society,  and  the  insufficiency  of  the  laws  to 
afford  due  protection,  incited  the  commission  of  such  offences 
not  unfrequently  by  persons  of  station  and  property.  But 
for  the  last  half  century  these  disgraceful  outrages  have  all 
but  ceased  to  exist  among  persons  of  that  class,  and  to  you 
belongs  the  discreditable  distinction  of  having  attempted,  at 
the  present  advanced  stage  of  civilization  and  among  a  popula- 
tion now  happily  returning  to  habits  of  order,  thrown  among 
the  upper  classes,  the  lawless  excesses  of  a  barbarous  state  of 
society.  .  .  .  The  law,  as  you  have  often  heard,  knows  no 
distinction  of  persons  ;  and  in  descending  to  the  level  of  the 
lowest  class,  you  have  of  necessity  brought  upon  yourself 
the  same  character  of  punishment  as  awaits  them  when  they 
offend  in  a  like  manner.  You  may  believe  it  is  not  without 
a  pang  that,  in  the  discharge  of  my  duty,  I  feel  it  essential 
to  pronounce  upon  you  the  sentence  of  the  Gourt,  which  is 
— that  you  be  imprisoned  for  two  years,  and  kept  to  hard 
labour  during  that  period."  ' 

'  The  Times,  2nd  August,   1854. 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       411 

The  prisoner  was  removed,  and  the  doors  of  Clonmel 
gaol  closed  behind  John  Garden,  who  passed  to  what  must  have 
been  to  one  of  his  temperament  a  living  death,  branded  as 
a  ruffian  and  a  criminal.  He  speaks  movingly  of  the  long, 
weary  days  and  nights  he  lived  through,  of  how  he  often  lay 
on  the  narrow  prison  bed  with  his  face  to  the  wall,  sobbing 
with  the  forlorn  and  hopeless  longing  for  her  presence.  From 
the  window  of  his  cell  he  looked  out  on  the  beautiful  Tipperary 
hills,  and  the  sight  of  them  added  to  his  misery. 

But  although  a  silence  worse  than  death  had  closed  over 
him,  outside  the  prison  feeling  ran  high  and  violent  controversy 
raged.  Society  in  Tipperary  was  sharply  divided  into  two 
parties,  for  or  against  the  prisoner,  Mr.  Garden's  friends  being 
in  the  majority.  As  a  typical  example  of  Irish  partizanship, 
it  was  vehemently  asserted  that  Miss  Arbuthnot's  social 
position  was  greatly  inferior  to  Mr.  Garden's,  whereas,  in  point 
of  fact,  it  may  well  be  said  that  her  lineage  was  at  least  as 
ancient  as  that  of  the  Gardens  of  Barnane.  The  correspondent 
of  the  Cork  Examiner  writes  as  follows  :  "  The  majority  of 
your  readers  will  learn,  I  have  no  doubt,  with  very  considerable 
surprise,  that  a  strong  sympathy  is  manifested  in  this  neigh- 
bourhood for  Mr.  Garden.  This  feeling  is  not,  as  might  be 
supposed,  confined  to  the  lower  classes,  who  have  been  con- 
stantly accused  of  this  tenderness  for  great  criminals,  but  is 
generally  felt  by  persons  in  a  much  higher  class  of  life.  It  is 
quite  easy  to  ascertain  that  this  exists,  as  the  trial  and  the 
circumstances  form  the  sole  topic  of  conversation.  I  have 
myself  heard  several  gentlemen,  many  of  whose  names  were  on 
the  panel,  palliating  the  crime  of  Mr.  Garden,  and  speaking  in 
strong  terms  of  indignation  of  what  they  call  the  '  persecution  ' 
on  the  part  of  the  Government.  ...  A  general  expression  in 
use  among  this  class  of  persons  is  that  '  he  was  too  good  for 
her  '  .  .  .  and  they  appear  to  be  rather  indignant  at  her 
presumption  in  having  an  opinion  of  her  own  on  the  subject. 
Among  the  humbler  class,  more  particularly  the  female  portion, 
this  feeling  exists  to  a  far  greater  extent  even.  .  .  .  The  phrase 
used  by  persons  of  a  more  respectable  rank,  '  that  he  was  too 
good  for  her,'  is  repeated  with  great  energy  by  their  poorer 
neighbours.  Nay,  so  strong  is  this  feeling,  that  the  popular, 
and   particularly    the    female    indignation    was    not    against 


412  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

Mr.  Garden,  but  against  Miss  Arbuthnot.  I  have  been  assured 
that  great  fears  were  entertained  that  the  young  lady  should 
be  hooted  in  the  streets,  and  I  have  myself  heard  crowds  of 
amazons  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Court-House  express 
their  anger  that  '  such  a  fine  man  should  be  put  out  of  the 
way  for  the  like  of  her.'  " 

The  scene  in  court  when  Mr.  Garden  was  acquitted  on  the 
second  indictment  attracted  the  unfavourable  attention  of 
The  Times,  which,  on  3rd  August,  pubhshed  a  leader  on 
the  subject.  "  We  are  all  of  us  wrong,  it  seems  " — so  the 
article  ran — "  on  this  side  of  the  Channel  about  Mr.  Garden's 
affair.  It  has  been  treated  as  a  half  mad  attempt  to  revive 
an  utterly  exploded  barbarity — as  mere  a  revival  as  Don 
Quixote's  knight-errantry,  the  Baronial  Hall  at  Rosherville, 
or  the  Eglintoun  tournament  ;  but  there  is  more  vitaUty 
about  the  practice  which  Mr.  Garden  has  so  splendidly  illus- 
trated than  dull  Englishmen,  or  even  Mr.  Justice  Ball,  had 
supposed.  The  animus  of  abduction  survives  in  Ireland, 
and,  though  Mr.  Garden  has  been  unlucky,  perhaps  because 
he  selected  for  the  object  of  his  attempt  the  daughter  of  a 
Saxon,  it  is  very  clear  that  there  is  at  least  one  county  in  Ireland 
in  which  even  the  Rape  of  the  Sabines  might  be  reproduced 
without  meeting  with  a  serious  resistance  or  unqualified  horror. 
Acquitted  on  his  second  trial,  Mr.  Garden  received  an  ovation 
in  court.  The  ladies  of  Tipperary  waved  their  handkerchiefs 
from  the  gallery  and  cheered  the  ungentle  knight,  whose 
only  fault  was  the  excessive  ardour  of  his  love.  The  ladies 
whom  we  ventured  to  praise  the  other  day  for  a  resistance 
which,  strenuous  as  it  was,  proved  barely  sufficient  for  the 
purpose,  are  thought  to  have  been  rather  too  rough.  Who 
was  Miss  Eleanor  Arbuthnot  that  she  should  refuse  the  hand 
of  the  Lord  of  Barnane  ?  Was  not  he  one  of  the  real  old 
famihes,  and  was  not  she  just  nothing,  except  a  girl  with  £30,000 
— nothing  particular,  too,  as  to  beauty  ?  It  is  voted  rather 
a  condescension  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Garden  that  he  took  so 
much  trouble  to  win  the  lady's  hand,  and  she  is  considered  a 
saucy  minx  for  rejecting  him.  .  .  .  He  only  mistook  his 
object,  and  it  is  a  case  where  success  is  all  the  test  we  can  apply. 
Treason  is  only  treason  when  it  does  not  prosper,  and  had  Mr. 
Garden  fallen  on  easier  material,  for  example,  on  one  of  the 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       413 

ladies  in  court — the  act  would  not  have  been  abduction,  but 
a  gentle  violence.  As  little  ground,  too,  have  we  for  suspect- 
ing that  this  unfortunate  gentleman  is  not  quite  right  in  the 
head.  When  a  score  or  two  ladies  can  be  found  to  cheer  a 
man  who  has  attempted  to  drag  a  lady  out  of  a  carriage 
on  her  return  from  church,  and  carry  her  away,  nobody  knows 
where,  in  order  to  make  her  marry  him,  the  natural  inference 
is,  that  this  style  of  courtship  is  not  so  irrational  in  Tipperary 
at  least,  and  that  Mr.  Garden  committed  no  more  absurdity 
than  the  O'MuUigan  did  when  he  mistook  the  master  of  the 
house  for  the  butler.  So,  whatever  the  male  jury  and  the 
judge  may  have  thought,  in  the  opinion  of  the  female  jury 
the  prisoner  stands  acquitted  of  both  crime  and  insanity. 
He  has  only  mistaken  his  lady."  The  Times  goes  on  to  remark 
that,  provided  a  proper  choice  of  the  victim  is  made,  abduction 
as  a  preliminary  to  marriage  has  much  that  can  be  urged 
in  its  favour,  as  making  less  heavy  demands  "  on  the  purse, 
the  patience  and  the  moral  courage  of  the  two  parties," 
than  a  wedding  in  form,  with  bridesmaids,  best  man,  breakfast, 
cards,  cake,  veils  and  orange-flowers.  "  We  only  ask  that  a 
mode  of  courtship  so  economical  and,  as  it  appears,  so  popular 
with  the  ladies  of  Tipperary  may  not  be  applied  to  English 
ladies,  or  to  any  ladies  who  are  not  prepared  for  it,  and,  for 
the  protection  of  the  uninitiated,  we  think  it  very  desirable 
that  when  a  mistake  is  made,  as  in  Mr.  Garden's  case,  the 
blunderer  should  be  punished." 

In  the  course  of  this  month  a  supersedeas  was  issued, 
dismissing  Mr.  Garden  from  the  Deputy-Lieutenancy  and 
magistracy  of  Tipperary.  In  spite  of  such  public  marks  of 
disgrace,  his  friends  (called  "  the  Gardenites  ")  were  making 
every  effort  to  procure  his  early  release.  Lord  Donoughmore 
especially,  an  intimate  friend  of  his,  used  his  utmost  influence 
on  Mr.  Garden's  behalf.  All  was  in  vain.  No  remission  of  the 
sentence  could  be  obtained.  But  after  some  months  a  proposal 
from  the  Government  was  submitted  to  Mr.  Garden.  He  was 
informed  that  he  would  be  released  if  he  consented  to  sign 
an  undertaking  not  to  "  annoy  or  molest  "  Miss  Eleanor 
Arbuthnot  "in  any  manner  whatever,  by  word,  deed  or  gesture." 
After  some  hesitation,  due  to  uncertainty  as  to  how  these 
words  might  be  interpreted,  Mr.  Garden  agreed  to  sign  the 


414  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

document.  "  I  was  induced  to  consent,"  writes  Mr.  Garden, 
"  but  having  given  in  my  adhesion  in  the  usual  form,  and 
received  by  the  hands  of  the  Crown  Sohcitor  the  bond,  ...  I 
found  that  the  original  terms  were  thus  amplified, — '  that  the 
said  John  Garden  should  not  annoy  or  molest  the  said  E.  L, 
Arbuthnot,  directly  or  indirectly,  by  word,  deed,  or  gesture, 
or  personally  intrude  himself  upon  her  presence,  or  hold 
communication  with  any  member  of  her  family  in  relation  to 
her,  the  said  Eleanor  Arbuthnot.'  This  bond  was  to  endure 
for  ten  years,  and  placed  me  under  an  obligation  of  £20,000, 
and  my  two  sureties  of  ;f5,ooo  each.  .  .  .  Rather  than  submit 
to  this  outrage  against  the  constitution  exhibited  in  my  person, 
— sooner  than  consent  to  the  eternal  separation  from  the 
being  whom  I  adored,  which  it  was  the  object  of  my  enemies 
to  effect,  I  passed  the  remainder  of  my  sentence,  viz.,  seven- 
teen months,  a  voluntary  prisoner  in  the  gaol  of  Clonmel, 
having,  however,  in  vain  submitted,  from  time  to  time, 
various  propositions  to  the  Government,  one  of  which,  from 
myself,  was  to  serve  as  a  common  soldier  in  the  Grimea  during 
the  term  of  the  Russian  war.  It  were  vain  for  me  to  attempt 
to  describe  the  painful  character  of  the  rumours  which  were 
circulated  in  consequence  of  my  refusal  to  submit  to  the  terms 
offered  by  the  Government.  A  report  was  industriously  spread, 
which  I  am  informed  gained  credence  with  the  Government  of 
the  day,  that  I  was  actually  insane.  One  of  my  most  intimate 
friends,  a  noble  lord  now  holding  high  office  in  the  present 
Government,"  visited  me  one  day  and  informed  me  that  it  was 
said  to  be  the  intention  to  press  such  an  accusation  against  me 
at  the  termination  of  my  imprisonment,  unless  I  would  then 
accept  the  conditions  above  alluded  to  ;  and  my  attention  was 
kept  continually  on  the  rack  to  avoid  any  expressions  from 
irritation  at  the  injustice  done  me,  which  might  be  recorded 
to  give  a  colour  to  the  insinuations  industriously  circulated." 
Mr.  Garden's  attitude  being  entirely  misunderstood,  the 
news  that  he  had  refused  to  sign  the  undertaking  was  received 
with  consternation.  It  was  everywhere  asserted  that  he 
must  be  meditating  another  criminal  act,  and  that  there  could 
be  no  peace  or  safety  for  Miss  Arbuthnot  from  the  moment 

'  Doubtless  Lord  Donoughmore,  who  was  Vice-President  of  the  Board  of 
Trade  in  1858,  when  Mr.  Garden's  pamphlet  was  pubhshed. 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       415 

that  he  was  set  at  liberty.  Most  probably  some  distorted 
account  of  this  incident  was  conveyed  to  her,  and  must  have 
thrown  her  into  the  utmost  terror. 

At  last  the  two  years  were  over,  and  Mr.  Garden  was  a 
free  man  again.  He  left  the  prison  very  quietly,  wishing  to 
avoid  a  projected  demonstration  in  his  favour,  which  he 
thought  might  be  disliked  by  Eleanor's  family.  He  now 
determined  to  go  to  India  and  there  see  William  Arbuthnot 
— then  a  partner  in  the  great  banking  firm  at  Madras — and 
lay  his  case  before  him.  He  says  that  he  was  at  first  kindly 
received,  but  that  after  an  interview  with  Sir  Patrick  Grant, 
William  Arbuthnot  changed  his  attitude,  and  wrote  him  a 
letter  declining  to  hold  any  further  communication  with 
him.  He  then  returned  home  and,  on  reaching  Ireland, 
sought  an  interview  with  the  Lord-Lieutenant,  Lord  Carlisle. 
"  He  received  me  with  his  usual  kindness,  and  I  stated  to  him 
my  deep  regret  for  my  past  conduct,  and  my  determination 
never  again  to  violate  the  laws  of  my  country  ;  and  in  every 
variety  of  language,  on  every  possible  occasion,  by  word  or 
letter,  and  to  every  possible  person  with  whom  I  have  communi- 
cated, I  have  given  an  assurance  that  never  again  would  I 
be  guilty  of  a  second  attempt  to  repeat  the  offence  which 
caused  so  much  pain  to  the  lady  to  whom  I  profess  myself 
deeply  attached,  or  to  be  guilty  of  any  violence  towards  her." 

Mr.  Garden's  thoughts  at  this  time  turned  towards  public 
life,  for  which  his  talents  eminently  fitted  him,  but  unfor- 
tunately those  who  seemed  to  be  his  friends,  but  who  were  in 
fact  his  worst  enemies,  now  once  more  urged  upon  him  not  to 
give  Eleanor  up  altogether.  They  assured  him  that  she 
appeared  greatly  agitated  whenever  his  name  was  mentioned. 
That  she  shed  floods  of  tears  when  alone.  That  she  seemed  to 
be  pining  away,  and  that  nobody  seemed  to  care  or  to  take  any 
interest  in  her.  All  this  (though  doubtless  quite  imaginary) 
naturally  pierced  him  to  the  heart.  He  knew  that  by  his  own 
act  he  had  made  it  impossible  that  they  should  ever  meet 
again  in  the  ordinary  way.  "  At  last,"  he  writes,  "  I  deter- 
mined to  force  an  interview  with  Lord  Gough '  himself,  and 
proceeding  to  Loughcooter  for  that  purpose,  I  surprised  him 
in  his  own  demesne.     Lord  Gough's  reception  of  me  was  that 

'  Mr.  George  Gough's  father,  Field-Marshal  Viscount  Gough,  the  hero  of  the 
Sikh  War. 


416  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

of  a  soldier  and  a  gentleman.  Every  amende  that  words 
could  convey  I  made  for  the  insult  I  offered,  as  he  said,  to  his 
family,  and  I  received  his  entire  forgiveness.  I  then  informed 
him  that  I  had  obtained  the  most  positive  information  as 
to  Miss  Arbuthnot's  state  of  mind  ;  that  when  she  heard  me 
abused  by  her  friends,  she  would  burst  into  tears,  and  then 
retire  to  her  room  for  the  remainder  of  the  evening,  where  she 
was  left  without  notice  or  remark,  with  details  of  a  similar 
nature.  Lord  Gough  said  '  that  the  hearts  of  young  girls 
were  deceitful,  but  that,  assuming  my  supposition  to  be  true, 
which  he  did  not  by  any  means  admit,  the  world  would  not 
allow  Miss  Arbuthnot  to  marry  me.'  That  appears  to  me  a 
remark  of  deep  import  in  relation  to  the  late  proceedings  ; 
but  my  opinion  is,  that  the  world  cares  little  about  the  affairs 
of  two  humble  individuals,  who  ought  to  be  allowed  to  settle 
them  in  private,  and  without  being  subjected  to  a  species  of 
interference  which  results  in  public  scandal.  Finally,  Lord 
Gough  advised  me  to  pursue  an  open,  not  a  clandestine  course, 
and,  acting  upon  this  suggestion,  I  went  to  Clonmel,  and 
not  finding  Mr.  Gough  at  home,  I  wrote  to  request  a  meeting 
with  him."  But  the  scene  enacted  at  his  gate  two  years  before, 
with  all  its  aggravating  circumstances,  had  evidently  wounded 
Mr.  Gough  too  deeply  to  admit  of  a  reconciUation.  After  an 
interval,  he  declined  the  interview.  Mr.  Garden  seems  also 
to  have  believed  that  his  object  in  writing  was  misunderstood, 
for  he  states  that  it  was  rumoured  and  generally  believed  at 
this  time  that  he  had  requested  a  hostile  meeting,  and  that 
his  letter  was  in  the  nature  of  a  threat.  In  the  course  of  his 
interview  with  Lord  Gough,  the  latter  had  "  enquired  if  I 
had  been  in  the  habit  of  holding  communication  with  Miss 
Arbuthnot's  maid,  Margaret  Keating,  for  that  she  had  been 
lately  dismissed  by  the  family  on  that  suspicion."  Mr. 
Garden  truthfully  assured  Lord  Gough  that  he  had  never 
had  any  communication  with  Margaret  Keating  ;  he  did  not 
even  know  that  such  a  person  existed.  But  the  question 
unhappily  conveyed  to  Mr.  Garden  an  impression  very  different 
from  that  intended  by  Lord  Gough.  Mr.  Garden  asked  himself 
whether,  if  the  maid  had  been  dismissed  on  a  supposition  of 
this  kind,  he  might  not  suppose  that  the  mistress  herself  was 
not  quite  above  suspicion  on  his  account?     He  became  more 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       417 

desirous  than  ever  to  have  one  interview  with  her,  even  though 
in  the  presence  of  witnesses,  and  judge  for  himself  how  he 
stood  with  her.     But  it  was  impossible  that  such  an  interview 
could  ever  take  place,  and  he  began  to  consider  what  other 
means  of  approach  were  open  to  him.     He  did  exactly  what  Lord 
Gough  had  advised  him  not  to  do — he  resorted  to  clandestine 
means.     He  first  determined  to  find  the  dismissed  maid  and 
to  learn  the  truth  of  the  story  from  her  own  lips.     In  this 
he  was  unsuccessful.     The  maid  had  completely  disappeared. 
Her  relations  were  unable  to  give  any  account  of  her.     This 
mystery   was   never   cleared   up,    but   her   stepmother,    Mrs. 
Keating,  now  showed  herself  willing  to  serve  Mr.  Garden  in 
any  way  possible.     It  is  melancholy  to  read  the  sequel.     Mrs. 
Keating,  acting  as  his  envoy,  represented  herself  as  having 
had   several    encouraging    interviews    with    Miss    Arbuthnot, 
who,  according  to  her  account,  looked  ill  and  Vi^i  etched,  and 
was,  she  declared,  in  danger  of  sinking  into  a  decline.     All 
this  was  positively  denied  on  oath  by  Miss  Arbuthnot  later, 
and  we  cannot  but  conclude  that  some  of  Mr.  Garden's  emissaries 
found  it  a  lucrative  business  to  encourage  him  with  false  hopes. 
It  was  shortly  after  this  that  Eleanor  signed  the  informations 
before  a  magistrate  at  Kingstown  Police  Office,  which  have 
been  already  referred  to,  and  in  which  she  stated  that  he 
"  was  well  aware,  notwithstanding  his  pretence  to  the  contrary, 
that  I  will  never  consent  to  see  or  have  any  intercourse  what- 
ever with  him,"  and  swore  that  "  I  am  apprehensive  that  he 
will,  should  occasion  offer  again,  commit  serious  violence  to 
me  and  that  I  am  in  danger  from  him,  and  I  positively  swear 
that  I  entertain  the  greatest  aversion  to  the  said  John  Garden, 
and  I  have  never  given  any  encouragement  to  justify  his 
addresses  to  me,  either  directly  or  indirectly."     These  infor- 
mations  Mr.   Garden   was   assured  she   had   signed  in   tears 
and  against  her  will.     They,  therefore,  made  no  impression 
upon  him. 

Mr.  Garden  was  in  court  when  Eleanor  Arbuthnot  was  once 
more  called  to  give  evidence,  this  time  with  regard  to  the  inter- 
views between  herself  and  Mrs.  Keating.  She  denied  in  un- 
equivocal terms  most  of  what  Mrs.  Keating  asserted  to  have 
taken  place,  and  it  is  a  curious  circumstance  that  although  he 
heard  these  most  solemn  denials,  Mr.  Garden  still  continued 
27 


418  MEMORIES    OF    THE    AEBUTHNOTS 

to  believe  Mrs.  Keating's  very  circumstantial  narrative  ;  and 
although  it  followed  from  this  that  he  beheved  Eleanor  to 
have  committed  perjury  in  the  most  deliberate  way,  his  feelings 
towards  her  remained  unchanged.  He  again  asserted  that  she 
was  "  under  coercion."  On  this  occasion,  the  magistrate 
remarked  "  that  it  may  not  be  too  much  for  me  to  express  a 
hope  that  after  what  has  been  said  here  to-day,  Mr.  Garden 
will  cease  to  entertain  the  delusion  under  which  he  appears 
to  have  laboured  respecting  the  feelings  of  Miss  Arbuthnot. 
I  do  not  wish  to  say  anything  offensive  of  anybody  ;  but  if 
what  has  been  sworn  here  is  true,  I  cannot  conceive  that  there 
can  exist  a  person  pretending  to  the  character  or  name  of  a 
gentleman,  who  would  persist  in  pursuing  and  annoying  with 
his  attentions  the  person  who  has  so  sworn.  If  false,  I  would 
pity  the  man  who  could  continue  to  entertain  a  good  opinion 
for  five  minutes  of  a  person  who  falsely  swears  that  she  always 
entertained  an  aversion  towards  him." 

To  this  Mr.  Garden  rejoined  that  he  thought,  on  the 
present  occasion,  it  would  be  more  gentlemanly  in  him 
not  to  say  a  syllable  in  answer  to  the  observations  just 
made.' 

During  the  succeeding  years,  Mr.  Garden  systematically 
followed  Eleanor's  footsteps,  often  appearing  unexpectedly 
in  neighbourhoods  where  she  was  staying.  He  followed  her 
to  Lough  Gutra,  in  Galway,  to  Sir  William  Lenox-Gonyngham's 
in  Go.  Londonderry  and  to  Elderslie,  in  Surrey,  in  the  vain 
hope,  no  doubt,  of  obtaining  an  interview  with  her.  She  was 
riding  one  day  with  her  brother  William  at  Elderslie  when 
Mr.  Garden  suddenly  appeared,  also  on  horseback,  and 
attempted  to  speak  to  her.     His  account  of  what  happened 

I  These  proceedings  merely  terminated  in  Mr.  Garden's  being  bound  over. 
In  the  course  of  them,  Mr.  Garden's  counsel,  Mr.  Gurran,  said  that  "  he  believed 
that  if  Miss  Arbutlinot  told  Mr.  Garden  to  his  face  that  she  had  an  aversion  towards 
him,  he  would,  like  a  gentleman  and  a  man  of  honour,  abandon  all  thoughts  of 
her  for  the  remainder  of  his  life." 

Mr.  Garden — That  is  perfectly  true,  Mr.  Gurran. 

Mr.  Porter  said  that  he  did  not  know  what  Mr.  Garden's  opinion  of  the  lady 
might  be,  but  she  had  sworn  on  the  Holy  Evangelists  that  she  entertained  the 
greatest  aversion  towards  him. 

Mr.  Gurran — I  grant  you  she  has  sworn  that ;  but  I  am  speaking  of  what 
this  gentleman  instructs  me  was  his  wish,  namely,  to  hear  that  from  her  own 
lips,  and  not  in  the  presence  of  any  other  human  being. — Dublin  Evening  Post, 
14th  October,  1858. 


Prince  Charles   Edward   Sluarl. 

From   a   miniafurc  presented  by  him   lo  Captain   Thomai  jlrbuthnol. 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       419 

is  as  follows  :  "  On  riding  up  at  Elderslie  to  speak  to  Miss 
Arbuthnot,  certainly  in  a  gentle  tone  of  voice,  this  gentleman 
{i.e.,  William  Arbuthnot)  proceeded  to  shake  his  whip  at  me 
violently  ;  Miss  Arbuthnot  appeared  to  me  to  expostulate, 
but  his  violent  demonstrations  continued  ;  and  knowing  that 
Miss  Arbuthnot's  strong  family  affection  would  be  much 
hurt  by  the  use  of  violence  on  my  part  towards  her  brother, 
even  in  my  own  defence,  I  retired,  and  in  the  evening  sent 
him  the  following  note  : 

"  '  Sir, — Although,  for  obvious  reasons,  I  must  wish, 
in  your  case,  as  far  as  possible  to  avoid  that  species  of  hostile 
collision  which  you  seem  inclined  to  provoke,  even  in  your 
sister's  presence,  I  cannot  allow  you  for  a  moment  to  suppose 
that  such  scandalous  and  unjustifiable  interference  will  in 
the  slightest  degree  alter  my  determination,  or  interfere  with 
the  general  line  of  conduct  which  I  have  determined  to  pursue. 
As  to  yourself,  I  only  hope  that  you  will  come  to  view  the 
subject  with  a  more  patient  temper  and  in  a  more  Christian 
spirit."  ' 

Every  effort  has  been  made  to  discover  whether  Mr.  Garden 
and  Eleanor  ever  came  face  to  face  again,  under  circumstances 
where  any  conversation  could  have  taken  place  between  them. 
The  following  is  the  tradition,  according  to  one  member  of 
the  family  : 

They  met  in  an  hotel  abroad,  whither  he  had  followed  her. 
He  entered  a  room  where  she  happened  to  be  seated  alone. 
Miss  Arbuthnot  instantly  rose  and  requested  him  to  leave  the 
room,  stating  that  if  he  did  not,  she  must  immediately  do  so. 
This,  presumably,  put  an  end  for  ever  to  the  long  and  painful 
misunderstanding.  Mr.  Garden,  at  last  undeceived,  no  doubt 
retired  to  Barnane,  and  there  lived  his  life  in  the  rather  eccentric 
manner  described  by  Mr.  Sullivan  in  his  New  Ireland.  He 
died  in  1866,  after  a  few  days'  illness.  The  will  of  1852, 
leaving  his  horses  to  Eleanor,  must  have  been  destroyed,  for 

'  Throughout  this  part  of  the  story  one  cannot  but  notice  that  Mr.  Garden 
strangely  underestimated  the  very  real  apprehension  that  was  felt  as  to  whether 
he  might  not  attempt  some  further  act  of  violence.  He  had  given  his  word  not 
to  do  so,  and  he  knew  himself  to  be  incapable  of  breaking  it,  but  he  seems  to  have 
made  no  allowance  for  the  natural  misgivings  felt  by  those  whom  he  had  injured 
and  terrified. 


420  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

in  the  will  as  proved,  to  which  he  added  a  codicil  the  day 
before  his  death,  there  is  no  mention  of  her. 

Miss  Arbuthnot  never  married.  In  her  later  life  she  lived 
in  Edinburgh,  devoting  herself  to  the  sons  of  her  sister  Laura 
(Lady  Lenox-Conyngham),  who  were  being  educated  there. 
She  died  at  Lough  Cutra  Castle  in  1894,  after  a  year's  painful 
illness.  All  who  ever  knew  her  speak  of  her  with  the  utmost 
devotion,  as  one  of  the  saints  of  the  earth.  Mr,  Garden 
judged  her  rightly.  It  was  a  power  far  higher  than  superficial 
beauty  that  held  him  enslaved.  His  fate  in  life  was  a  terrible 
one.  If,  removed  from  the  scenes  we  have  been  describing 
by  over  six  decades,  and  recognizing  that  the  law  had  its 
pound  of  flesh  and  something  over,  we  are  able  to  review 
without  rancour  scenes  that  can  never  be  forgotten,  we  shall 
surely  be  allowed  at  this  era  to  feel  little  else  than  pity  for  one 
who  was  himself  the  principal  sufferer  from  an  impetuous 
act  so  bitterly  regretted  and  so  fully  expiated. 

George  Arbuthnot,  second  of  Elderslie,  Surrey,  eldest 
surviving  son  of  George  Arbuthnot  and  Eliza  Eraser,  was 
born  at  Madras,  24th  April,  1815.  He  was  for  some  time  a 
partner  in  his  father's  firm,  and  married  at  the  Cathedral 
Church  of  St.  George,  Madras  (28th  August,  1844),  Maria, 
daughter  of  John  Fryer  Thomas  of  the  Madras  Civil  Service, 
and  died  19th  March,  1895  (buried  at  Ockley),  having  by  her 
(who  died  at  14  Craven  Hill  Gardens,  5th  May,  1889)  had 
issue — 

I.  George,  third  of  Eldershe,  born  at  Madras  12th 
March,  1847,  of  whom  presently. 
II.  James  Woodgate  of  Elderslie,  born  at  Brighton 
5th  July,  1848.  Was  for  some  time  a  partner  in 
the  firm  of  Arbuthnot  and  Co.  of  Madras,  but 
retired  from  it  in  1884.  He  bought  Elderslie 
from  his  brother  George  and  married  (September 
26th,  1877)  Annie  Susan  Charlotte,  daughter  of 
Sir  Charles  Jackson,  Judge  of  the  High  Court  of 
,  Calcutta,  and  has  issue — 

(i)  Francis  Sidney,  Suffolk  Yeomanry,  born  at 
Madras  26th  November,  1882 ;  served 
in  the  European  War  (Despatches  twice) ; 


<  a. 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       421 

married  (3rd  September,  1912)  Lillemor, 
daughter  of  Nicholas  Halverson  of 
Christiania,  and  widow  of  Christian 
Mohr. 

(2)  Maurice  Armitage  (Captain),  i6th  Lancers, 
born  4th  March,  1889 ;  served  during  the 
European  War.  Was  A.D.C.  to  General 
Sir  Hubert  Gough,  K.C.B.,  1915-18. 
Staff-Captain,  1918.  (Twice  mentioned  in 
Despatches,  1915  and  1918.  Awarded 
the  Mihtary  Cross  and  the  Croix  de 
Guerre,  1917.)  He  married  (7th  August, 
1915)  Madehne,  daughter  of  Sir  Frederic 
Albert  Bosanquet,  K.C.,  Common  Ser- 
jeant of  London,  and  died  14th  October, 
1918,  leaving  issue :  Rosalind  Philippa, 
born  9th  September,  1916. 

(i)  Marion  Fenn,  born  15th  October,  1878, 
married  (20th  April,  1901)  Walter  Prideaux, 
son  of  Sir  Walter  Prideaux,  Clerk  to  the 
Goldsmith's  Company,  and  has  issue. 

III.  Herbert  Robinson,  born  at  Madras  8th  January, 
1851,  married  (loth  November,  1880)  Evelyn 
Mary,  daughter  of  the  Hon.  Henry  Lewis  Noel, 
third  son  of  Charles,  first  Earl  of  Gainsborough, 
and  by  her  has  had  issue — 

(i)  Ashley  Herbert  (Captain),  12th  London 
'  Regiment  (Rangers),  born  21st  August, 
1884 ;  served  in  the  European  War ; 
was  seriously  wounded  4th  May,  1915, 
and  died  in  hospital  15th  of  the  same  month 
at  Le  Treport,  France.  He  was  buried  in 
the  Cemetery  for  British  and  Canadian 
officers  and  men  at  Le  Treport. 

(2)  Sidney  Noel,  born  23rd  December,  1892,  died 
24th  of  the  same  month. 

(i)  Evelyn  Marion,  born  26th  August,  1881, 
married  (1905)  Nigel  Hanbury  of  Green 
End  House,  Ware,  and  has  issue. 


422  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

(2)  Mary  Sybil,  born   20th  June,  1883,  married 

Archibald,  son  of  Colonel  J.  M.  McNeile, 
R.E.,  and  has  issue. 

(3)  Frances  Emily,  twin  with  Mary  Sybil. 

IV.  Ernest  William,  born  30th  April,  1856,  died  29th 

August,  1859. 

V.  Lenox     Conyngham     (Major),     Suffolk     Regiment, 

born  2ist    October,   i860,  married  Mrs.  Watling 
and  has  had  issue — 

(i)  Stanley,  R.A.F.,  killed  in  a  flying   accident 

ist  November,  1918. 
(i)  Aline,  married  (2nd  January,  1919)  Henry 
Montagu,  son  of  Henry  Ellis  Dobson  of 
Way  Close,  Reigate. 
I.  Emma    Marion,    born    at    Madras     4th    November, 
1845,    died   unmarried    12th   September,    1859. 

George  Arbuthnot,  third  of  Elderslie,  eldest  son  of  George 
Arbuthnot  and  Maria  Thomas,  was  born  at  Madras,  12th 
March,  1847.  He  was  educated  at  Brighton  College,  was  in 
the  school  eleven,  and  while  there  (at  the  age  of  16)  was  asked 
to  play  for  the  Gentlemen  Players  of  Sussex.  He  was  Ensign 
in  the  53rd  Shropshire  Foot  and  later  Lieutenant  in  the  Scots 
Greys.  He  married  (4th  August,  1875)  Mary  Rose,  eldest 
daughter  and  co-heiress  of  William  Leslie,  nth  Laird  of 
Warthill,  who  had  represented  the  County  of  Aberdeen  in 
the  Conservative  interest  in  Parliament,  and  was  a  member 
of  the  Royal  Company  of  Archers,  the  Sovereign's  Body- 
Guard  in  Scotland.  On  the  death  of  this  WilHam  Leshe  in 
1880,  George  Arbuthnot  assumed  the  surname  of  Leshe  in 
addition  to  his  own,  his  wife  having  succeeded  to  the  lands  of 
Warthill  as  heiress  of  entail.  He  was  a  Deputy-Lieutenant 
for  the  County  of  Aberdeen,  and  in  1895  succeeded  his  father 
in  the  estate  of  Eldershe,  Surrey,  which  he  sold  to  his  younger 
brother,  James,  thus  keeping  it  in  the  family.  He  died  at 
Warthill  ist  November,  1896,  and  was  buried  at  Rayne, 
Aberdeenshire,  the  coffin  being  borne  all  the  way  to  Rayne 
by  relays  of  tenantry,  who  asked  to  be  allowed  to  show  this 
mark  of  respect  for  their  late  Laird.  His  place  of  burial  is 
at  no  great  distance  from  the  spot  where  his  far-away  relative, 


<     s 


S    5 
a!   i 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT    OF    ELDERSLIE       423 

James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche,  once  owned  a  "  fortalice," 
and  conducted  his  feuds  against  the  Leshes  of  those  days. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arbuthnot-LesHe  left  issue — 

I.  William  Douglas  Leslie  Arbuthnot-LesUe  of  Warthill, 
of  whom  below. 

II.  George  Rupert  Arbuthnot-LesUe  (Captain),  Loyal 
Suffolk  Hussars  (Suffolk  Yeomanry),  born  at  Wart- 
hill 23rd  August,  1883  ;  served  in  the  European 
War ;  Lieutenant,  October  1914 ;  at  Gallipoli, 
1915  ;  Egypt,  1916  ;  Palestine,  1917  (wounded  at 
the  second  battle  of  Gaza,  14th  April,  that  year)  ; 
Captain,  August  1917  ;  in  France  and  Belgium, 
1918  (1914-15  Medal)  ;  while  in  Palestine  acted 
as  A.D.C.  to  Brigadier-General  Angus  McNeill, 
D.S.O.,  and  was  on  Headquarters  Staff,  74th 
Yeomanry  Division. 
I.  Aline  Rose  Arbuthnot-LesHe,  born  at  Warthill 
24th  June,  1888.  Served  as  a  nurse  during  the 
European  War.  Was  with  the  French  Red  Cross 
1915-16,  and  with  the  ItaHan  Red  Cross  1916-17. 
Drove  a  motor  ambulance  throughout  the  Serbian 
Campaign  of  1918,  and  was  awarded  the  Serbian 
Gold  Medal.  She  married  (14th  November,  1919) 
the  Hon.  Charles  Fox  Maule  Ramsay,  fifth  and 
youngest  son  of  John,  thirteenth  Earl  of  Dalhousie. 

JI.  Violet  Seton  Arbuthnot-LesHe,  born  at  30,  Onslow 
Square  28th  June,  1893. 

WiUiam  Douglas  LesHe  Arbuthnot-LesHe  of  WarthiU, 
eldest  son  of  George  Arbuthnot  and  Mary  Rose  Leslie,  heiress 
of  Warthill,  was  born  at  23  Hyde  Park  Gardens,  London, 
7th  August,  1878.  He  succeeded  his  mother  in  1900, 
Is  Lieutenant  (ret.)  Scots  Guards.  Was  A.D.C.  to  the 
Governor  of  Hong  Kong  from  1904  to  1907.  Served  in  the 
South  African  War,  1899-1900,  was  present  at  the  reHef  of 
Ladysmith,  and  the  operations  in  the  Orange  Free  State 
and    Cape    Colony,  1900   (Queen's   Medal  with  three  clasps). 


SHEET    A. 


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Robert  Ahbuihi 
of  Whitehill 

[living  1679) 


bi:thnot 
|t.  Co.  Mnyo 
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Robert  Arbuthn 

of  Haddo-Rattn 

(died  1756) 


(  Keith  Inch,  Peterhead" 
{died   1790) 


General  Sir  Cha 


RoBr^RT  Arbuthn 


A 

(Lister-Kayes 

of  Deoby  Grange, 

Yorkshire) 


ARBUTHSOT-BRISCns 

of  Newtown   Hall, 

Montgomeryshire) 


OUTLINE    PEDIGREE    OF    THE    ARBUTHXOT    FAJIILY. 

(H'ltrs'  names  are  omitted  owing  tn  consideratimis  nf  spac^.) 


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APPENDICES 


APPENDIX  I 

POEM  BY  THE  REV.  JOHN  SKINNER  ON  THE 
DEATH  OF  JAMES, 

ELDEST  SON  OF  JAMES  ARBUTHNOT  OF  WEST  ROIL\ 

"  Another  Farmer  gone  !    a  favourite  too  ! 
Lord  help  us  !  what  can  love  or  wishes  do  ? 
O  could  'gainst  death  our  love  or  wishes  plead, 
To  save  the  living  or  bring  back  the  dead — ■ 
Then  had  not  this  dear  friend  for  whom  we  mourn 
Been  weeks  and  months  and  j^ears  with  anguish  torn. 
Torn  thus  away  from  fleeting  hopes  of  life, — 
From  four  fair  Infants,  and  a  blooming    wife. — 
From  every  virtue  that  delights  mankind, — 
From  friendship's  feelings  and  from  social  ties, — 
Those  earthly  comforts  of  the  good  and  wise  ; 
So  soon  beside  a  worthy  father  laid, 
And  now,  like  him,  a  much  lamented  shade  ; 
With  deepest  grief  by  wife  and  friends  deplor'd. 
To   wife  and  friends  no  more  to  be  restored  : 
But  so  Almighty  wisdom  has  thought  lit, — ■ 
The  final  stroke  is  struck  and  we  submit. 
Strangers,  or  Critics,  if  one  such  will  deign 
To  read  this  plaintive  but  unlaboured  strain. 
Scorn  not  its  plainness  with  disdainful  eye. 
Or  read  with  sympathy,  or  pass  it  by, — 
The  artless  muse  but  speaks  her  own  distress 
And  who  best  knew  my  friend  will  say  no  less." 


APPENDIX   II 

DOCUMENTS  RELATING  TO  THE  PURCHASE  OF 
CAIRNGALL  IN  1591 

(FROM   THE  REGISTER   OF  DEEDS,   VOLS.   39   AND   40) 

"  1591,  December  i,  Registration  of  a  Contract  dated  at  Aberdeen 
2ist  May,  1591,  between  Sir  Gordon  of  Petlurge,  knight,  on  the  one 
part,  and  James  Arbuthnot  of  Ledintusch  and  John  Arbuthnot,  his 
eldest  son  and  apparent  heir,  on  the  other  part,  wherein  tlie  said  Sir 
John  promises  to  infeft  the  said  John  Arbuthnot  and  his  heirs  male 
and  assignees  in  the  town  and  lands  of  Carngall  and  mill  thereof  lying 
in  the  barony  of  Kelle,  Aberdeenshire,  holding  of  the  Earl  of  Mar, 
viz.,  the  west  third  part  of  the  lands  wadset  to  James  Maitland  of 
Monlaitte  for  1200  merks  and  another  part  thereof  wadset  to  Mr. 
Richard  Irving,  burgess  of  Aberdeen,  for  1000  merks  ;  with  assignation 
to  the  letters  of  reversion  by  the  said  James  Maitland  and  Mr.  Richard 
Irving  ;  and  disponing  also  the  teinds  of  the  said  lands.  The  said 
James  and  John  Arbuthnots  shall  redeem  the  said  lands  from  these 
wadsetters  for  10,000  merks,  the  superplus  of  that  sum  to  be  paid  to 
the  said  Sir  John  Gordon.  Witnesses  are  Mr.  John  Chein  of  Fortre, 
Mr.  Samuel  McGill  in  Balmedie,  Mr.  Robert  Paip,  advocate,  George 
Seton  of  Auchinhuiff,  Mr.  Thomas  Gordon  and  William  Hay,  notaries 
public.  Signed,  John  Gordon  of  Petlurge  knight,  '  with  my  hand,' 
James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentushe,  John  Arbuthnot  of  Legisland." 

"  1592  June  16,  Registration  of  Discharge  by  Sir  John  Gordon  of 
Petlurg,  knight,  to  John  Arbuthnot  of  Carngall  for  4000  merks  in  full 
payment  of  the  price  of  the  town  and  lands  of  Carngall  in  the  barony  of 
Kellie  and  parish  of  Peterugie,  Aberdeenshire,  contained  in  a  contract 
between  the  said  Sir  John  on  the  one  part  and  the  said  John  and  James 
Arbuthnot,  his  father,  on  the  other  part,  dated.  .  .  .  May  last ; 
renouncing  therefore  his  right  to  the  said  lands  and  the  salmond  fishing 
on  the  water  of  Ugie  and  other  pertinents.  Dated  at  Aberdeen  6th 
November  1591  ;  witnesses  being  Mr.  Richard  Irving,  baihe,  burgess 
of  Aberdeen,  James  Arbuthnot  of  Leduntusche,  Mr.  Robert  Paip, 
advocate,  Alexander  Gordon,  the  discharger's  servitor,  and  Mr.  William 
Ray,  notary  pubhc. 


APPENDIX   III  ^ 

DOCUMENTS  RELATING  TO  MARGARET 
ARBUTHNOT, 

SUPPOSED    DAUGHTER   OF   JOHN   ARBUTHNOT,   FIRST  LAIRD 
OF  CAIRNGALL 

Although  I  have  placed  Margaret  Arbuthnot  on  the  pedigree  as 
daughter  of  the  first  Laird  of  Cairngall,  no  absolute  proof  of  this  relation- 
ship is  forthcoming,  and  I  must  mention  that  I  have  against  me  the 
opinion  of  a  correspondent  of  unrivalled  experience,  whose  judgment 
on  such  a  point  cannot  be  ignored.  He  has  inclined  to  the  view  that 
Margaret  was  the  daughter  of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche,  and 
therefore  sister,  instead  of  daughter,  of  the  first  Laird  of  Cairngall. 

There  is  a  good  deal  of  information  available  about  Margaret  Arbuth- 
not, though  not  exactly  with  reference  to  her  parentage.  We  know 
that  she  was  three  times  married,  first  to  Patrick  Johnston,  (murdered 
in  1601  by  Lord  Glamis),  by  whom  she  had  eight  children,  secondly 
(in  1603)  to  Alexander  Cheyne,  and  thirdly  to  John  Gordon.  She  was, 
then,  in  1601,  already  the  mother  of  eight  children,  and  this  fact  led  my 
correspondent  to  suppose  that  she  would  belong  to  an  earlier  generation 
than  that  of  the  first  Laird  of  Cairngall's  children. 

On  the  birthbrief,  facing  p.  162,  we  find  her  marriage  with  her  third 
husband  recorded,  and  I  have  argued  that  she  was  by  him  the  mother  of 
Beatrix  Gordon,  who  afterwards  married  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Scotsmill 
and  was  grandmother  of  Dr.  John  Arbuthnot.  Strangely  enough,  this 
is  not  the  only  birthbrief  on  which  Margaret  Arbuthnot's  name  has 
been  found.  One  was  granted  in  1655  to  WiUiam  Gordon,  then  residing 
in  Poland,  who  descended  through  his  mother  from  Margaret's  first 
marriage  with  Patrick  Johnston.  This  birthbrief,  which  is  printed  in 
the  Spalding  Club  Miscellany,  vol.  v.,  p.  337,  shows  that  the  said  William 
Gordon  "  is  the  lauchfull  sone  of  the  said  James  Gordon,  procreat 
betuixt  him  and  Jeane  Johnstoun,  his  spous,  who  were  lauchfull  marled 
persones  .  .  .  and  that  the  said  Jeane  Johnstoun  wes  lauchful  daughter 
to  Patrik  Johnstoun  of  Mostoune,  in  the  parochine  of  Logibuchane, 
procreat  betuixt  him  and  Margret  Arbuthnot,  daughter  to  James 
Arbuthnot  of  Cantegall." 


430  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

It  will  be  noticed  that  she  is  here  described  as  daughter  of  James 
Arbuthnot  of  Cairngall,  and  this  will,  perhaps,  be  held  to  support  my 
correspondent's  view.  James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche,  who  certainly 
had  a  daughter  Margaret,  was  never  "  of  Cairngall,"  though  he  was 
associated  with  his  son  John  in  the  purchase  of  that  estate  in  1591, 
and  the  name  James  is  not  infrequently  written  in  error  for  John  in 
old  records.  The  point  really  turns  on  the  probable  date  of  birth  of 
the  first  Laird  of  Cairngall's  children,  and  whether  it  is  possible  that  a 
child  of  his  could  have  had  eight  children  by  1601.  As  regards  this, 
we  are  practically  without  data,  but  I  should  like  to  point  out  that  in 
1590  John  Arbuthnot,  son  of  the  first  Laird,  got  the  escheat  of  his  father 
and  grandfather,  they  being  then  at  the  horn.' 

On  this  occasion  letters  were  obtained  against  him  by  William 
Leslie  of  Civilie,  and  as  no  procurators  or  guardians  are  named,  this 
suggests,  or  rather  establishes,  that  the  younger  John  was  of  age  in 
that  year,  and  might  easily  have  had  a  married  sister  at  that  time. 
It  would  seem  strange  if  Margaret  Arbuthnot  should  be  mentioned  in 
two  separate  birthbriefs  as  daughter  of  a  Laird  of  Cairngall  if  her  father 
were  really  James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche,  for  on  no  other  occasion 
do  we  find  the  latter  referred  to  as  "  of  Cairngall,"  and  it  would  seem 
unlikely  that  he  would  be  so  remembered  by  his  descendants.  With 
regard  to  this,  however,  my  correspondent  remarked  :  "  No  appella- 
tion attached  to  him  would  surprise  me,  he  seems  to  have  had  so  many 
styles."  Having,  therefore,  against  me  the  opinion  of  a  great  expert, 
I  must  leave  such  readers  as  take  an  interest  in  the  minute  details  of 
genealogy  to  form  their  own  judgment  upon  the  question. 

The  documents  relating  to  Margaret  Arbuthnot  and  her  quarrels 
with  her  second  husband's  family  are  from  the  Aberdeen  Inhibitions 
and  Homings,  vol.  17,  and  run  as  follows  : 

"  1614,  February  15.  Inhibition  at  the  instance  of  John  Bruce  in 
Essilmont  against  Margaret  Arbuthnot,  widow  of  Alexander  Cheyne 
in  Halton  of  Bahelvies,  for  fulfilment  of  her  Bond  to  the  complainer 
dated  22  May,  1605,  that  her  deceased  husband's  goods  should  be 
forthcoming  to  his  creditors.  John  Gordon  in  Chapeltoun,  now  her 
spouse,  is  also  charged. 

"  1614,  March  11.  Inhibition  at  the  instance  of  Margaret  Arbuthnot, 
widow  of  Alexander  Cheyne,  portioner  of  the  lands  following,  and 
John  Gordon  in  Chapelton  of  Essilmont,  now  her  spouse,  for  his  interest, 
against  Isobel  and  Marjory  Cheyne,  sisters  and  heirs  served  and  retoured 
to  the  said  deceased  Alexander  Cheyne,  and  John  Bruce  at  the  Meikle 
Mill  of  Essilmont,  spouse  to  the  said  Isobel,  and  James  Johnston  in 
Jakstoun,  spouse  to  the  said  Marjory,  for  their  interest,  for  fulfilment 
to  the  said  Margaret  Arbuthnot  of  the  terms  of  a  charter  by  the  said 
deceased  Alexander  Cheyne  to  her  in  Hferent  on  gth  July,  1603,  (for 

'  See  pp;  iio-m. 


MARGARET    ARBUTHNOT    OF    CAIRNGALL      431 

the  marriage  then  solemnized  between  them),  of  the  said  two  thirds  of 
the  town  and  lands  of  Gray's  Fortrie,  and  mill  and  mill-lands  of  Essil- 
mont,  called  the  Meikle  mill  of  Essilmont  upon  the  water  of  Ythan. 
"  1614,  April  2.  Inhibition  at  the  instance  of  Isobel  and  Marjory 
Cheyne,  sisters  and  heirs  portioners  to  the  deceased  Alexander  Cheyne, 
lawful  son  of  the  deceased  William  Cheyne  in  Essilmont,  and  John 
Bruce  in  Graiffortrie,  spouse  to  the  said  Isobel,  and  James  Johnston  in 
Isaacstoun,  spouse  to  the  said  Marjory,  narrating  Contract  of  Marriage 
dated  at  Aberdeen  23  June  1603  between  the  said  deceased  William 
Cheyne  and  the  said  Alexander,  his  eldest  son,  on  the  one  part,  and 
Margaret  Arbuthnot,  widow  of  Patrick  Johnston  in  Halton  of  Bahelvies, 
for  their  marriage,  containing  an  obligation  on  the  part  of  the  said 
Margaret  to  provide  2,000  merks  of  tocher  and  to  fulfill  certain  other 
conditions." 


APPENDIX   IV 

(AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  RIGHT  HON.  CHARLES 
ARBUTHNOT,  WRITTEN  CLOSELY  ON 
THIRTEEN    SPIEETS    OF    NOTEPAPER.) 

MY  FAREWELL. 
To  My  Four  Beloved  and  all  Most  Excellent  Children. 

I  intend  to  be  as  brief  as  I  can  in  what  I  have  to  say  ;  but  as  I  liad 
attained  my  eightieth  year  on  tlie  14th  March,  1847,  and  I  am  now 
writing  at  Woodford  in  the  Evening  of  the  9th  of  December  of  the 
same  year,  it  will  be  necessary  if  I  say  anything  that  it  should  be  said 
at  once,  as  I  can  have  no  long  time  to  remain  in  this  world. 

My  chief  object  in  writing  is  to  impress  upon  my  children  the  signal 
and  never-ceasing  favours  which  through  so  long  a  life  I  have  received 
from  our  most  gracious  and  Almighty  God. 

It  will  be  well,  therefore,  that  I  should  begin  from  my  earliest  child- 
hood ;  and  that  I  should  say  something  of  the  family  from  which  I 
am  descended. 

Three  brothers  of  my  name  and  family  came  to  London  from  Scot- 
land, belonging  to  a  family  of  great  antiquity  in  that  Country.  I  so 
express  myself  with  the  intention  of  stating  that  the  family  had  long 
been  established  in  Kincardineshire,  at  a  Place  from  which  the  family 
had  originally  taken  its  name.  In  all  other  respects,  every  family  is 
equally  ancient,  as  we  are  all  descended  from  Adam  and  Eve,  our  first 
Parents. 

One  of  the  three  brothers  was  Dr.  Arbuthnot,  well  known  in  Queen 
Anne's  time  and  justly  celebrated  for  his  wit  and  learning  ;  and  above 
all  for  the  great  and  universally  acknowledged  excellence  of  his  Character. 
Another  of  them  settled  in  France,  after  serving  in  Spain  in  support  of 
the  Stuart  family,  and  is  said  to  have  gained  a  large  fortune  as  a  banker 
at  Rouen,  a  considerable  portion  of  which  fortune  being  expended  upon 
Scotch  and  English  who  had  quitted  this  country  on  the  fall  of  James 
the  2^^. 


THE    RIGHT   HON.    CHARLES    ARBUTHNOT     433 

The  third  of  the  Brothers  was  named  George,  and  he  was  my  Grand 
Father.  He  was  an  officer  in  Queen  Anne's  Guards  ;  but  on  the  accession 
of  the  House  of  Hanover,  he  threw  up  his  commission,  being,  Uke  the 
others  of  the  Family,  an  adherent  of  the  exiled  Royal  Family  of  the 
Stuarts.  After  quitting  the  Guards,  he  entered  the  service  of  the 
East  India  Company  ;  and  going  to  China  he  there  died,  and  left  an 
only  son,  my  father.  My  grandfather  was  married  to  a  Miss  Anas- 
tasia  Robinson,  whose  sister  had  married  the  able  but  eccentric  Earl 
of  Peterborough.! 

My  father,  whose  Christian  name  was  John,  was  very  young  when 
my  Grandfather  died. 

The  Persons  under  whose  care  my  father  had  been  placed  felt  that 
the  best  mode  of  disposing  of  him  was  to  educate  him  for  Trade.  This, 
from  what  I  have  heard  of  my  father,  was  a  mistake  ;  as  I  have  under- 
stood that  having  very  superior  talents  he  was  well  calculated  to  succeed 
in  the  army  or  in  one  of  the  learned  Professions.  In  trade  he  failed,  as 
I  shall  have  to  relate  hereafter.  My  father  married  a  Miss  Stone, 
whose  father  was  a  Banker,  and  her  uncles  were  Mr.  Andrew  Stone  and 
George  Stone,  the  Primate  of  Ireland. 

I  may  here  mention  that  Mr.  Andrew  Stone  was  a  man  of  great 
ability,  had  passed  his  life  in  the  service  of  the  Public,  and  was  a  great 
favourite  of  George  the  Third.  I  remember  that  George  the  Third 
told  me  that  his  regard  for  my  uncle  had  been  so  great  that  he  should 
ever  be  interested  in  my  welfare. 

The  Primate,  his  brother,  was  a  man  of  very  superior  abilities. 

I  now  come  to  my  own  life,  and  without  going  into  details  I  wish 
to  shew  how  great  my  gratitude  ought  to  be  to  our  Almighty  God  for 
the  signal  acts  of  Grace  and  Favour  which  I  have  received  from  him. 
Not  that  I  shall  attempt  to  specify  all  or  many  of  the  instances,  which 
would  be  too  numerous  for  me  to  narrate  ;  though  I  meditate  upon 
them,  daily  I  may  say,  with  unbounded  gratitude  to  my  Heavenly 
Father.  But  to  proceed.  When  I  was  not  above  two  or  three  years 
old,  I  was  in  bad  health,  and  for  change  of  air  I  went  to  reside  for  a 
time  with  my  great  Uncle,  Mr.  Andrew  Stone. 

I  soon  got  into  good  health,  and  the  carriage  was  brought  to  the 
door  to  take  me  back  to  my  father's. 

Whether  it  was  that  I  had  been  treated  at  my  uncle's  with  great 
kindness  and  indulgence,  or  from  what  other  cause,  certain  it  was  that 
I  cried  most  violently  when  I  had  to  get  into  the  carriage.  Seeing  me 
so  unhappy  at  the  thought  of  going  away,  it  was  resolved  that  I  should 
remain  with  my  uncle  ;  and  I  did  remain  with  him  till  his  death  and 
with  his  wife  afterwards  till  her  death. 

My  uncle  died  when  I  was  seven  years  old.  I  then  went  to  a  private 
school  at  Richmond.     At   that   school   I   stayed   till  I  was   12   years 

■  Mr.  Arbuthnot  has  fallen  into  an  error  here.  His  grandmother  was  Margaret 
Robinson,  and  it  was  her  sister,  Anastasia,  who  married  the  Earl  of  Peterborough. 

28 


434  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

old  ;  and  then  I  was  sent  to  Westminster,  and  was  placed  in  the  4"" 
form.  When  I  was  fifteen,  my  aunt  died.  Her  Picture  is  over  the 
fireplace  in  my  sittingroom.  After  her  death,  I  continued  with  her 
Maiden  sister,  whose  name  was  Mauvillain,  originally  a  French  Family. 
There  was  also  living  with  her  Mrs.  Sarah  Stone,  a  sister  of  my 
mother. 

I  ought  here  to  mention  that  my  Great  Uncle,  Mr.  Andrew  Stone, 
left  me  at  his  death  £3,000,  and  with  a  request  to  his  widow  to  leave  more 
to  me  at  her  death,  and  she  did  leave  me  £20,000  ;  which  I  was  to 
receive  at  her  sister's  death. 

I  cannot  pass  over  the  very  great  kindness  and  affection  with  which 
to  the  day  of  his  death  my  Great  Uncle  ever  treated  me  :  and  with  regard 
to  his  widow,  my  great  aunt,  I  may  truly  say  that  throughout  my  whole 
life  up  to  this  day  I  have  continued  to  have  her  in  my  mind  with 
unceasing  love  and  affection.  She  was,  indeed,  the  very  kindest  of 
mothers  to  me. 

I  remained  at  Westminster  till  I  was  past  17  and  then  I 
went  to  Christchurch,  Oxford. 

I  should  now  mention  that  so  early  as  when  I  was  at  a  private  school 
at  Richmond  my  father  failed  in  his  trading  speculations,  and  he  went 
to  reside  in  France  with  his  whole  Family.  The  consequence  was 
that  I  never  saw  my  mother  again,  for  she  died  abroad,  nor  did  I  see 
my  Brothers  and  Sisters  till  they  were  some  of  them  grown  up,  and  till 
they  came  to  England  on  their  way  to  Ireland  ;  where  my  father  was 
appointed  Inspector  General  of  the  Linen  Trade  of  that  country.  So 
that  I  never  saw  my  mother  after  I  was  a  child  ;  my  father  I  only 
saw  now  and  then,  when  he  came  alone  for  a  short  time  (a  few  days) 
to  England  ;  and  my  brothers  and  sisters  I  never  saw  till  some  of  them 
were  grown  up. 

I  have  said  that  at  17  I  went  to  Oxford.  I  believe  I  was  a  pretty 
good  scholar  when  I  left  Westminster,  at  least  I  remember  being  told 
by  the  Dean  that  the  Tutor  said  I  handled  my  Greek  well.  But  alas, 
and  I  sz.y  it  with  sorrow  and  shame,  while  I  was  at  Oxford,  and  I  re- 
mained there  4  years,  I  passed  my  whole  time  in  idleness  and  amuse- 
ments. I  lived  there  with  a  most  agreeable  set  ;  but  unfortunately 
it  was  not  the  turn  of  those  with  whom  I  associated  to  read  and  study. 
It  was  intended  that  I  should  be  a  lawyer.  But  at  the  age  of  21,  I 
went  with  the  late  Duke  of  Dorset  and  with  Mr.  Tempest,  a  mutual 
friend  at  CH  CH  to  the  continent  ;  and  passed  some  months  at  Vienna. 
These  months  were  agreeably  passed  and  in  the  best  society  ;  but  I 
did  not  return  to  England  better  disposed  to  the  severe  labour  of  the 
Law. 

In  the  following  year,  I  went  with  Mr.  Frederic  North,  the  youngest 
son  of  Lord  North,  so  long  prime  Minister,  first  to  Denmark  and  Sweden 
and  then  to  Warsaw.  He  left  me  and  went  to  Greece,  but  I  remained 
in  Poland  and  staid  there  till  the  Winter  of  1789.     Passing  my  time  most 


THE    RIGHT    HON.    CHARLES    ARBUTHNOT     435 

pleasantly  in  all  the  best  of  the  society,  and  particularly  living  a  great 
deal  with  Stanislaus,  the  last  of  the  Kings  of  Poland. 

On  my  return  to  England,  I  gave  up  all  thought  of  studying  the 
Law.  I  became  intimately  acquainted  with  men  and  women  of  the 
highest  talent  and  rank,  and  whose  society  was  delightful.  In  this 
manner  I  continued  till  I  was  between  25  and  26  years  of  age.  I  had 
often  misgivings  in  my  own  mind  and  was  dissatisfied  with  the  idle 
life  that  I  was  passing. 

The  war  against  France  broke  out  in  1793.  I  was  then  too  old  to 
think  of  studying  the  Law,  but  I  was  miserable  at  the  thought  of  wearing 
life  away  in  a  state  of  perfect  idleness.  Therefore,  when  Lord  Paget 
(now  Marquis  of  Anglesey)  got  permission  to  raise  a  Regiment,  The 
28th  of  the  line,  I  desired  to  have  a  commission  in  it  ;  and  accordingly 
I  entered  as  Ensign. — But  my  friends  thought  that  at  my  age  this  step 
of  mine  was  a  bad  one  ;  and  one  friend,  Mr.  John  King,  being  very 
intimate  with  Lord  Grenville,  then  Secretary  of  State  for  Foreign  Affairs, 
spoke  to  him  and  asked  whether  he  could  not  give  me  some  appointment. 
Lord  Grenville  said  that  the  war  had  added  so  much  to  the  business  of 
the  Office  that  he  had  intended  to  appoint  a  Precis  Writer,  and  that  he 
would  give  me  the  situation  if  I  liked  to  have  it.  The  salary,  he  said, 
would  be  small,  being  £300  a  year  ;  but  that  the  business  to  be  performed 
would  give  me  a  great  fund  of  information  ;  and  would  render  me  fit 
for  higher  situations. 

I  accepted  the  offer  with  great  joy.  I  gave  up  all  thought  of  the 
Army.  I  continued  Precis  Writer  till  1795  ;  and  I  then  went  as  Charge 
des  Affaires  to  Stockholm — was  there  till  1797,  and  then  came  Home  on 
leave.  Till  1798  I  was  in  London,  unemployed,  but  then  I  was  sent 
to  Stuttgart  to  compliment  the  Grand  Duke  of  Wurtemberg,  who  had 
recently  married  a  daughter  of  our  King  George  the  Third,  and  who 
had  just  come  to  the  Government  of  the  Duchy  on  the  death  of  his 
father. 

The  Duchy  has  since  been  erected  into  a  Kingdom. 

I  returned  to  England  in  1798  ;  and  in  the  following  year  I  was 
married  to  your  blessed  mother.  Of  her  I  will  not  say  much.  Although 
I  lost  her  after  7  years  of  the  most  perfect  happiness,  time  has  not 
had  the  effect  of  reconcihng  me  to  her  loss.  To  me  it  was  dreadful. 
To  you  all  it  has  been  a  misfortune  beyond  what  I  could  make  known 
to  you.  A  more  perfect  creature  never  breathed.  One  more  fond  of 
her  Children  this  world  never  saw. — But  on  this  subject  I  will  say  no 
more. 

On  my  marriage  I  went  in  1800  to  Lisbon  as  Consul-General,  and 
was  in  addition  very  soon  Charge  des  Affaires,  as  Mr.  Walpole,  the 
Minister,  resigned  and  came  away.  I  remained  in  Portugal  till  1801  ; 
and  then  came  to  England  on  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Frere  to  be  Minister. 

I  was  soon  appointed  Minister  in  Sweden,  and  remained  there  till 
1803 ;    when   Ld    Liverpool,  Secretary  of    State    for  foreign  Affairs, 


436  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

wrote  to  offer  me  to  be  Under  Secretary  of  State  in  his  office.  I  came 
home  ;  and  was  Under  Secy,  of  State  till  Ld  Liverpool  changed 
his  department  on  Mr.  Pitt's  return  to  power. — I  was  then  appointed 
Embassador  at  Constantinople  ;  but  I  came  away  in  1807  and  joined 
Sir  J.  Duckworth  below  the  entrance  of  the  Dardanelles  ;  went  up 
in  his  Ship  and  with  the  Squadron  under  his  command  ;  and  forced 
the  Passage  of  the  Dardanelles,  destroying  their  fleet  and  their 
forts. 

We  were  prevented  by  a  total  calm  from  advancing  to  Constanti- 
nople, and  remained  stationary  in  the  Sea  of  Marmora  for  at  least  a 
week.  In  the  meanwhile  the  Turks  had  erected  strong  Batteries. 
I  fell  very  ill  of  a  Rheumatic  fever,  and  was  near  dying.  Sir  J.  Duck- 
worth thought  that  the  state  of  the  defences  would  render  it  impossible 
for  him  to  succeed  in  an  attack  against  Constantinople  ;  and  as  soon 
as  we  had  a  fair  wind  he  returned  through  the  Dardanelles.  This 
I  declare  in  the  presence  of  our  Almighty  God  is  the  exact  truth. 

Had  I  been  in  health,  I  could  not  have  obliged  Sir  J.  Duckworth 
to  undertake  what  he  thought  impracticable,  but  being  very  ill,  and 
supposed  to  be  in  a  dying  state,  I  could  give  no  opinion  or  advice. 
I  have  only  to  add  that  we  had  been  induced  to  act  against  the  Turks 
because  they  were  allying  themselves  with  France  against  Russia, 
who  at  that  time  was  our  Ally. 

I  have  not  adverted  to  the  dreadful  loss  I  sustained  at  Constantinople 
on  the  24th  May,  1806,  by  the  death  of  your  beloved  Mother. 

I  will  say  no  more  respecting  it  ;  but  of  this  be  assured,  that  time 
has  never  reconciled  me  to  the  loss  of  her.  If  ever  Human  Being 
went  to  Heaven,  She  is  now  there. 

I  returned  to  England  in  1807.  I  was  unemployed  till  1809.  In 
that  year  I  was  appointed  Secy,  of  the  Treasury,  and  so  I  remained 
till  the  beginning  of  1823,  and  was  then  named  ist  Commissioner  at 
the  Woods  and  Forests. — In  that  situation  I  was  till  I  resigned  in  1827, 
on  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Canning  to  be  Prime  Minister. 

I  was  again  at  the  Woods  and  Forests  when  the  Duke  of  WeUington 
became  Prime  Minister  quite  at  the  commencement  of  1828  ;  but  soon 
afterwards  I  was  made  Chancellor  of  the  Duchy  of  Lancaster.  I  was 
Chancellor  till  just  the  end  of  1S30,  when  the  Conservative  Government 
was  broken  up  ;   and  then  my  public  life  ended. 

This  is  a  brief  outline  of  my  life.  Throughout  the  whole  of  it,  the 
hand  of  God  has  been  over  me.  I  have  referred  to  it  in  two  instances. 
In  the.  first,  in  my  very  early  childhood.  My  being  taken  by  my  Great 
Uncle  Andrew  Stone  was  the  cause  of  all  my  subsequent  success  ;  ^nd 
here  let  me  say  that  it  enabled  me  subsequently  to  be  of  great  service 
to  Brothers,  whom  I  had  seldom  seen  and  scarcely  knew.  I  sent  for 
my  Brother  Thomas  ;  and  was  the  cause  of  his  advancement,  though 
it  was  also  owing  to  his  own  excellent  conduct.  To  Robert  I  was  not 
of^equal  use,  as  Ld.  Beresford  aided  him  in  the  early  part  of  his  military 


THE    RIGHT    HON.    CHARLES    ARBUTHNOT     437 

life.  But  I  got  him  the  important  Step  of  Lieut. -Colonel,  and  subse- 
quently through  me  he  was  appointed  to  a  good  situation  by  the  Duke 
of  Wellington,  when  he  commanded  the  Army  of  occupation  in  France, 
after  the  Battle  of  Waterloo  and  the  Treaty  of  Paris.  My  brother 
Alexander  I  got  Lord  Liverpool  to  appoint  to  the  Bishopric  of  Killaloe. 

All  this  I  have  stated  as  instances  of  what  I  had  been  enabled  to  do  in 
consequence  of  having  been  myself  so  greatly  favoured  by  Almighty  God. 

And  the  other  great  and  leading  circumstance  of  my  hfe  was  my 
being  taken  from  a  wretched  state  of  idleness  by  Lord  Granville's 
appointment  of  me  to  a  situation  in  his  office.  This  I  have  ever  con- 
sidered as  the  hand  of  God  interfering  for  me  when  in  the  high  road 
to  ruin  and  without  which  I  could  neither  have  had  success  myself; 
nor  have  aided  any  of  my  family. 

But  it  is  not  merely  in  one  or  two  instances- — they  have  been 
innumerable — that  I  have  seen  and  felt  the  protecting  hand  of  the 
Almighty.  And  considering  that  I  have  only  a  plain  Understanding,' 
with  I  hope  good  common  sense,  I  have  felt  the  more  grateful  to  God 
for  the  many  and  great  favours  which  He  has  heaped  upon  me. 

Had  I  been  a  person  of  brilliant  talents,  I  might  have  ascribed  to 
them  what  success  I  have  had  :  but  had  not  the  Almighty  favoured  me 
and  greatly  too,  I  could  have  done  nothing.  Therefore  to  Him  do  I 
bow  down  in  gratitude.  I  have  it  in  my  heart.  I  am  full  of  thanks 
to  God  the  whole  day  long. 

And  for  nothing  do  I  more  offer  up  most  grateful  thanks  than  for ' 
His  great  goodness  in  having  blessed  me  with  four  most  excellent 
Children,  and  for  the  certainty  I  shall  have  when  I  quit  this  world  that 
I  leave  those  behind  me  who  will  be  the  inheritors  of  Eternal  Salvation. 

I  have  also  to  thank  God  for  having  given  me  many  most  excellent 
friends.  I  shall  leave  this  world  without  ill  will  to  anyone,  but  with 
the  feeUng  that  in  addition  to  my  good  children  I  have  also  a  number  of 
good  friends. 

In  the  mercy  of  our  Almighty  Father,  I  have  unbounded  faith. 
The  passage  into  another  World  is  so  awful  that  I  can  only  hope  to 
work  out  my  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling  ;  but  praying  as  I  do 
to  God  for  aid  and  help,  and  having  as  I  have  said  the  most  unlimited 
faith  in  His  Mercy  and  Goodness,  I  look  forward  with  hope  of  the  truest 
and  sincerest  kind.  I  can  never  be  sufficiently  thankful  for  the  protec- 
tion so  signally  vouchsafed  to  me  in  this  life  ;  and  through  the  Atonement 
of  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  I  trust  I  may  look  forward  for  forgiveness, 
of  my  great  and  manifold  sins. 

My  best  and  beloved  Children,  farewell.  Let  us  all  pray  that  we 
may  meet  again  in  a  happy  Eternity. 

Charles  Arbuthnot. 

P.S.  I  have  in  a  very  hasty  and  imperfect  way  traced  out  the  leading 
events  of  my  life.     I  have  done  it  for  the  sake  of  you,  my  Dear  Children, 


438  MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

in  order  to  commemorate  the  signal  protection  and  favour  which  I 
have  received  from  Almighty  God. 

I  have  gone  but  Uttle  into  my  private  life.  I  have  referred  to  your 
excellent  Mother  as  a  subject  deeply  interesting  to  you  all  :  but  I 
have  abstained  from  other  subjects  which  would  be  mainly  interesting 
to  myself. 

This,  however,  I  will  say.  Although,  like  all  others,  I  have  been 
subject  sometimes  to  unhappiness  and  miseries,  it  has  been  only  on 
two  occasions  that  I  have  suffered  great  affliction. 

But  all  things  in  this  world  pass  away.  I  should  not  now  even 
wish  to  recall  from  the  dead,  my  mind  being  bent  on  re-joining  those 
who  are  gone  before  me. 

CH^  A. 

P.S.  loth  Dec'.  1847. — I  feel  that  I  have  very  inadequately  stated 
much  of  what  I  had  wished  to  say.  The  other  eight  sheets  were  written 
by  me  very  hastily  after  dinner  yesterday  evening.  I  should  not  have 
had  time  to  say  all  that  I  had  intended  before  going  to  bed,  if  I  had 
not  greatly  hurried  thro'  the  whole  of  the  narrative. 

In  particular  I  am  aware  that  I  have  very  imperfectly  explained  all 
that  I  had  to  say  respecting  some  of  the  Events  of  my  Embassy  at 
Constantinople. 

It  was  a  long  story  to  tell,  and  I  was  anxious  to  conclude  before  going 
to  bed. 

I  will  not  even  now  go  into  many  details  ;  but  I  must  add  a  few 
lines  to  what  appears  in  the  preceding  sheets. 

During  the  latter  period  of  my  residence  at  Constantinople,  the 
Turkish  Government  shewed  evidently  an  unfriendly  disposition  to- 
wards Russia  ;  and  manifested  it  in  particular  by  the  displacement 
of  the  Hospodars  of  Moldavia  and  Wallachia,  on  the  ground  that  they 
were  in  connection  with  the  court  of  Petersburgh. 

I,  as  Embassador  of  England,  interfered  ;  and  by  negotiation  I 
prevailed  on  the  Turkish  Government  to  re-appoint  the  same  persons 
as  Hospodars.  Unfortunately,  this  success  was  not  known  at  Peters- 
burgh till  the  Russian  armies  were  in  march  towards  Turkey.  On 
learning  this,  the  Turkish  Government  ordered  M.  Itahnsky,  the  Russian 
Minister,  to  quit  Constantinople.  I  of  course  exerted  myself  to  the 
utmost  in  support  of  the  Russian  interest,  for  I  felt  that  otherwise 
Turkey  would  become  united  with  France. 

I  had  received  intimation  from  London  that  L'^-  CoUingwood  off 
Cadiz  had  been  ordered  to  despatch  an  officer  with  a  Squadron  of  some 
Ships  of  the  Line  to  give  weight  and  aid  to  my  negotiations. 

I  found  that  my  influence  at  the  Porte,  which  had  been  very  great, 
was  gradually  declining  ;  the  result  of  my  giving  all  the  support  I 
could  to  M.  Italinsky  and  the  Russian  interest.  I  felt  that  unless  I 
put  myself  in  conjunction  with  the  Enghsh  Squadron  sent  to  aid  me, 


THE    RIGHT   HON.    CHARLES    ARBUTHNOT     439 

I  could  not  in  the  existing  temper  of  the  Turkish  Government  have  the 
remotest  chance  of  success. 

There  was  an  EngUsh  Frigate  in  the  Harbour  of  Constantinople. 
I  resolved  to  embark  in  that  Frigate  and  to  pass  down  the  Dardanelles 
that  I  might  join  the  Enghsh  Squadron.  But  I  had  to  provide  for 
the  security  of  all  the  Enghsh  established  in  Constantinople  ;  and  it 
was  necessary  that  I  should  act  with  caution  and  secrecy,  as  otherwise, 
should  my  intention  become  known  to  the  Turkish  Government,  neither 
I  nor  they  would  have  been  allowed  to  depart. 

I  intimated  to  all  the  English  to  meet  me  on  a  certain  day  on 
board  the  Frigate  ;  and  when  they  arrived  I  explained  to  them  my 
intentions  ;    and  taking  them  all  with  me,  the  Frigate  sailed  away. 

I  did  join  the  Squadron,  which  was  commanded  by  Sir  J.  Duckworth. 
— On  account  of  contrary  winds,  we  could  not  sail  for  the  Dardanelles, 
and  through  them  for  Constantinople,  for  many  days.  At  length,  on 
the  23rd  of  Feb''  1807,1  we  had  a  fair  wind,  tho'  light,  and  we  entered 
the  Dardanelles.  We  were  under  fire  from  each  fort  as  we  passed  it, 
for  eight  hours. — We  destroyed  all  the  forts,  and  the  Turkish  fleet 
also,  which  had  been  stationed  to  oppose  us. 

It  was  Evening  before  the  firing  was  all  over. — I  went  to  bed  while 
our  Squadron  was  proceeding  with  a  fair  wind  up  to  the  Sea  of  Marmora. 
I  was  dressing  on  the  following  morning  when,  by  the  motion  of  the 
Royal  George,  on  board  of  which  I  was,  I  perceived  that  she  was  laying 
to.     I  came  out  of  my  cabin  to  enquire  the  cause. 

Sir  J.  Duckworth  told  me  that  he  had  made  signal  for  the  Captains 
of  the  Line  of  Battle  Ships  to  come  on  board  that  he  might  consult  them. 
This  I  thought  a  needless  measure ;  but,  however,  the  Admiral  had 
called  them  and  they  came  on  board. 

It  was  their  unanimous  opinion  that  before  proceeding  to  further 
hostilities  we  should  communicate  with  the  Turkish  Government.  This 
therefore  was  done.  But  the  loss  of  time,  occasioned  by  laying  to 
that  the  Captains  might  come  on  board  the  Royal  George,  was  fatal 
to  the  enterprise.  The  wind  in  the  meantime  died  away.  That  wind 
would  have  carried  us  up  to  the  Walls — to  the  then  undefended  walls 
of  Constantinople.  We  could  never  afterwards  approach  the  Town 
nearer  than  eight  or  ten  miles. 

Of  this  the  Turkish  Government,  under  the  guidance  of  General 
Sebastiani,  the  French  Embassador,  took  advantage,  and  erected  strong 
batteries  along  the  Coast. 

On  one  occasion  a  fair  breeze  sprang  up,  and  orders  were  imme- 
diately given  to  go  aloft  and  to  unfurl  the  Sails  ;  but  before  they 
could  be  all  unfurled  the  breeze  died  away,  and  we  were  again 
becalmed. 

This  was,  1  think,  either  two  or  three  days  after  our  arrival  in  the 
Sea  of  Marmora. 

»  It  was  actually  the  iQtli. 


440  MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

Almost  immediately  afterwards,  I  was  attacked  and  confined  to 
my  bed  by  a  violent  Rheumatic  fever,  which  deprived  me  of  all  use  of 
my  limbs  ;  and  the  Surgeon  on  board  gave  me  up  as,  in  his  opinion,  my 
case  was  hopeless.  Therefore  I  was  unable  to  give  any  opinion  to  the 
Admiral ;  or  to  remonstrate  if  I  had  thought  it  advisable,  if  indeed 
remonstrance  could  have  had  effect. 

This  I  declare  in  the  presence  of  Almighty  God,  before  Whom  I 
shall  have  hereafter  to  answer  for  every  word  I  have  here  written,  is 
the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and  nothing  but  the  truth. 

It  is  merely  necessary  to  add,  that  Sir  John  Duckworth  being  at 
length  favoured  by  a  wind  fair  to  carry  his  Squadron  back  through 
the  Dardanelles,  and  the  defences  of  the  Town  being  completed,  he 
considered  that  all  chance  of  success  was  lost  to  us  by  the  utter  impos- 
sibility of  approaching  the  Town  during  the  many  days  that  we  had 
been  in  the  Sea  of  Marmora  ;  and  he  reluctantly  resolved  to  re-tread 
his  steps  and  to  re-pass  the  Dardanelles. — Sir  J.  Duckworth  might  have 
so  resolved  correctly  and  wisely.  I,  in  what  was  considered  a  dying 
state,  could  have  no  share  in  the  determination,  even  supposing  that 
if  in  good  health  I  had  been  capable  of  giving  an  opinion  on  Naval 
matters.  But  I  was  not  then  equal  to  consultation  or  advice  ;  and  the 
determination  of  the  Admiral  was  entirely  his  own,  in  which  I  could 
not  in  my  then  state  of  health  have  had  any  part  whatever. 

The  late  Lord  Grey  was  First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty  when  Sir  J. 
Duckworth  was  ordered  to  proceed  to  the  Dardanelles. 

On  my  return  to  England  I  saw  him  frequently.  Nothing  could 
be  more  cordial  or  more  friendly  than  his  communications  with  me. 
He  expressed  his  regret  to  me  that  he  had  not  ordered  Lord  Collingwood 
up  instead  of  deputing  an  inferior  officer. 

I  mention  this  because  the  whole  blame  of  the  failure  has  been 
imputed  to  me  in  the  House  of  Commons  by  Admiral  Sir  Ch^.  Napier. 
— I  had  long  before  left  the  House  of  Commons,  and  my  public  life  was 
over.  I  did  however  think  of  rebutting  the  ungenerous  and  most 
cruelly  unjust  accusation. — But  I  refrained.  On  consideration,  I 
could  not  but  be  aware  that  for  the  first  time  to  enter  into  a  controversy 
on  a  subject,  on  which  I  had  of  my  own  accord  ever  been  silent,  (the 
more  painful  and  embarrassing  as  almost  all  who  had  been  present  were 
dead)  would  be  ill  received  by  the  Public,  as  all  its  interests  had  long 
since  been  forgotten  ;  and  as  nothing  ever  does  satisfy  the  Pubhc  but 
success,  which  in  this  instance  had  not  been  the  case,  but  on  the  contrary 
entire  failure. 

The  winds  were  adverse,  or  rather  there  was  want  of  wind,  and  the 
result  was  failure  ;  but  failure,  I  declare  in  words  as  solemn  as  I  can 
utter  them,  in  which  I  had  not  and  could  not,  circumstanced  as  I  was, 
have  the  slightest  share  whatever. 

Lord  Westmorland,  then  L^.  Burghersh,  and  a  very  young  man, 
was  on  board  the  Royal  George,  and  he  must  well  remember  the  laying 


THE    RIGHT   HON.    CHARLES    ARBUTHNOT     441 

to  of  the  ship  for  the  Captains  to  come  on  board  ;  he  must  also  remember 
my  severe  and  dangerous  illness.  Admiral  Sir  Bladen  Capel  is  still 
alive.  As  he  only  commanded  the  Endymion  Frigate  I  do  not  think 
that  he  was  called  on  board  ;  but  of  this  I  am  not  sure.  He  must  however 
have  the  same  recollection  that  Lord  Westmorland  has  of  all  the  cir- 
cumstances that  I  have  stated.  By  reference  to  them,  it  would  be 
known  that  mj^  illness  was  so  severe  as  to  make  it  supposed  that  I  was 
in  a  dying  state. 

I  might  also  mention  that  to  Dr.  Goddard,  an  old  friend  of  mine 
now  alive,  Mr.  Thomas  Grenville,  who  died  recently,  at  a  very  advanced 
age,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Whig  Government  after  the  death  of 
Mr.  Pitt ;  — to  Dr.  Goddard  I  say  Mr.  Grenville  declared  that  the 
subject  of  my  Embassy  to  Constantinople  being  brought  before  the 
H.  of  Commons  by  Mr.  Eden,  now  the  Earl  of  Auckland,  my  justifica- 
tion of  myself  had  been  complete  and  had  been  so  thought  by  all 
present. 

I  threw  no  blame  on  anyone,  but  I  confined  my  explanations  to  a 
justification  of  myself. 

I  have  been  anxious  to  record  for  my  Children  the  history  of  an 
important  era  in  my  public  life.  It  is  the  first  and  only  time  that 
I  have  ever  written  a  word  upon  the  subject. 

Charles    Arbuthnot. 

It  has  been  far  from  my  intention  to  cast  blame  on  others. 

Had  I  not  been  blamed,  in  my  absence,  most  unjustly  as  I 
shall  ever  think,  the  silence  so  long  observed  would  have  been 
continued. 

But  although  it  was  natural  that  I  should  justify  myself  when  I  had 
full  means  of  justification,  only  on  one  single  act  have  I  commented. 

I  could  not  but  feel  that  the  loss  of  time  in  consulting  the  Captains 
was  also  the  loss  to  us  of  that  wind  which  would  have  crowned  us  with 
success.  I  knew  that  the  Turkish  Government  was  prepared  to  acquiesce 
in  our  demands  when  the  fleet  was  first  seen  ;  but  that  they  took 
confidence  to  resist  us  when  time  had  been  given  to  complete  all  their 
batteries  of  defence. 

CH.   A. 

P.S.  1849.— I  have  recently  heard  that  after  the  Battle  of  Albuera 
Ld.  Beresford  offered  to  my  brother  Robert  the  rank  of  L*.Colonelcy, 
but  he  preferred  coming  to  England  with  the  dispatch  announcing  that 
Victory.  But  certain  it  is  that  at  the  Horse  Guards  I  was  assured  that 
that  advancement  was  owing  to  my  application. 

C.  A. 

[That  Mr.  Arbuthnot  contemplated  the  pubhcation  of  the  above  narrative 
at  some  future  time  is  evident  from  the  following  passage  in  a  letter  written  to 


442  I^IEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

liis  eldest  son,  13th  May,  1849  :  "  You  might  shew  what  I  have  written  (after 
my  death)  to  Ld.  Westmorland  and  Admiral  Bladen  Capel,  for  those  two  are 
the  only  persons  of  the  Squadron  who  are,  as  I  beUeve,  still  alive.  ...  In 
all  probability  nothing  more  will  be  ever  said  on  the  subject.  At  all  events 
you  have,  in  what  I  have  written,  what  I  know  to  be  a  true  statement  of  facts  ; 
and  I  leave  my  written  justification  in  yr  hands,  to  use  it  or  not,  as  may  be 
advisable."] 


APPENDIX  V 

SUPPOSED  DESCENT  OF  ADMIRAL  MARRIOTT 
ARBUTHNOT 

The  place  of  Admiral  Marriott  Arbuthnot  on  the  pedigree  has  always 
been  a  matter  of  doubt.  It  happens  that  some  of  Mrs.  Arthur  Arbuth- 
not's  papers  throw  hght  upon  this  matter,  and,  having  been  supple- 
mented by  the  research-work  undertaken  for  me  in  London  by  Miss 
E.  Fairbrother,  we  are  now  in  a  position  to  give  a  Uttle  more  information 
about  the  Admiral's  ancestry  than  has  hitherto  been  the  case. 

The  Admiral's  father,  it  appears,  was  Robert  Arbuthnot,  who 
married  at  Wyke  Regis  Church,  Dorset,  30th  November,  1704,  Sarah 
Bury  of  Weymouth,  heiress  of  Melcombe  Regis.  On  6th  March,  1712, 
we  find  the  following  entry  in  the  baptismal  registers  of  Wyke  Regis  : 
"  Marriott,  son  of  Robert  and  Sarah  Arbuthnott."  Although  these 
are  the  only  two  entries  found  at  Wyke  Regis,  the  Admiral  certainly 
had  two  brothers  and  a  sister.  His  eldest  brother,  Richard  of  Melcombe 
Regis,  was  Surveyor  under  the  Post  Office  at  Weymouth.  His  will 
was  proved  24th  April,  1788.'  He  left  only  daughters.  Another 
brother,  Robert  Arbuthnot,  was  in  1736  declared  co-heir  with  Admiral 
Marriott  Arbuthnot  and  others  to  their  uncle,  Richard  Bury,  brewer, 
of  Melcombe  Regis. ^  This  Robert  died  unmarried  and  intestate, 
admonition  being  granted  to  his  brother  Richard  in  1757. 

As  regards  the  parentage  of  Robert  Arbuthnot,  husband  of  Sarah 
Bury,  that  is  a  more  difficult  question.  From  my  own  researches  I 
could  throw  no  light  on  this,  but  Mrs.  Arthur  Arbuthnot's  papers 
help  us  by  showing  what  the  Admiral's  own  impression  was  as  to  his 
descent.  He  seems  to  have  believed  his  grandfather  to  have  been  the 
Rev.  Robert  Arbuthnot,  minister  of  Crichton  and  Cranston,  who  married 
Margaret  Kennedy,  heiress  in  her  issue  to  the  Kennedys  of  Baltersan. 
This  couple  had  three  sons  baptized  at  Cranston, — George,  Charles 
and  Alexander,  in  the  years  1683,  1684  and  1686  respectively.  No 
baptism  of  a  son  Robert  is  recorded  at  Cranston,  but  he  might  perhaps 
have  been  baptized  elsewhere,  perhaps  before  1682,  the  year  the  Rev. 
Robert  Arbuthnot  came  to  Cranston.  (There  was  certainly  an  eldest  son 
Hugh,  who  was  retoured  heir  to  his  uncle,  Hugh  Kennedy  of  Baltersan 

«  P.C.C.  Calvert,  171.  '  Chancery  Proceedings,  1714-58,  619/2; 


444  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

in  1722).'  It  will  probably  be  safe  to  assume  that  Admiral  Marriott 
Arbuthnot  would  be  correct  as  to  his  grandfather's  identity,  and  if  so, 
we  shall  next  wish  to  ascertain  the  place  on  the  pedigree  of  the  Rev. 
Robert  Arbuthnot.  The  only  knowledge  we  have  as  to  the  Admiral's 
own  views  comes  from  allusions  in  the  letters  of  a  Mr.  Charles  Gordon 
in  1792,  when  he  was  conducting  researches  into  the  Arbuthnot  pedigree 
at  Edinburgh,  which  letters  are  among  Mrs.  Arthur  Arbuthnot's  papers. 
From  these  it  would  appear,  if  the  inferences  I  draw  from  them  are 
correct,  that  there  was  in  the  Admiral's  family  a  tradition  regarding 
the  estate  of  Caterline,  and  this  seems  to  have  led  Mr.  Gordon  to  suppose 
that  the  descent  lay  through  Simon  Arbuthnot  of  Caterhne  (p.  67). 
This,  however,  does  not  seem  probable,  and  I  should  like  to  suggest 
instead  that  the  Rev.  Robert  Arbuthnot,  minister  of  Cranston,  was 
the  same  person  as  "  Mr.  Robert  Arbuthnot," — son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot 
of  Caterhne  (p.  57), — who  inherited  that  estate  and  sold  it  in  i66g 
to  his  cousin  Simon.  This  "  Mr.  Robert  Arbuthnot,"  mentioned  in 
his  mother's  will  in  1690  as  "  at  the  Kirk  of  Fordoun,"  cannot,  of 
course,  be  proved  to  have  been  afterwards  minister  at  Crichton  and 
Cranston,  and  I  can  only  lay  it  before  the  reader  as  a  suggestion.  No 
Robert  Arbuthnot  was  ever  minister  of  Fordoun,  so  that  any  connection 
with  that  kirk  must  have  been  merelj'  temporar5^  but  we  may  notice 
that  one  of  the  references  given  by  Hew  Scott  for  his  account  of  the 
Rev.  Robert  Arbuthnot  is  to  the  "  Fordoun  Visitations."  ^ 

The  Admiral  seems  also  to  have  mentioned,  as  his  great-uncle,  a 
certain  David  Arbuthnot  of  Weymouth,  who,  between  1680  and 
1687,  recorded  his  arms  in  the  Lyon  Court,  as  being  descended  of  the 
third  son  of  the  Arbuthnot  family,  his  great-grandfather.  "  Mr. 
Robert  Arbuthnot,"  son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Caterline,  certainly 
had  a  brother  David,  and  they  were  great-grandsons  of  Alexander 
Arbuthnot  in  Pitcarles,  third  son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk 
and  Christian  Keith. 

The  Admiral,  who  died  in  1794  and  was  buried  at  Wyke  Regis, 
had  two  sons— John,  Governor  of  North  Yarmouth,  and  Charles, 
who  predeceased  his  father. 3  Charles  left  a  son  John,  of  whom  nothing 
is  known,  but  who  presumably  died  young,  for  Governor  John  Arbuth- 
not describes  himself  as  "  the  last  of  his  race  "  in  a  tablet  he  erected  to 
the  memory  of  his  father,  in  Wyke  Regis  Church.  The  line  of  Admiral 
Marriott  Arbuthnot  must,  therefore,  be  taken  to  be  wholly  extinct. 
His  own  long  and  honourable  career  is  fully  treated  in  the  Dictionary 
of  National  Biography. 

'  Ser\iees  of  Heirs  for  Scotland. 

»  Fasti  EcclesieB  ScoticancB,  by  Hew  Scott. 

J  Admiral  Marriott  Arbuthnot's  will. 


APPENDIX  VI 

EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  DIARIES  OF  GEORGE 
ARBUTHNOT, 

FIRST  OF  ELDERSLIE,   SURREY 

George  Arbuthnot  of  Elderslie  seems,  throughout  his  life,  to  have 
kept  a  careful  and  methodical  record  of  the  private  and  public  events 
through  which  he  lived.  Passages  of  his  Diary  have  been  quoted  in  the 
account  we  have  given  of  his  career,  but,  for  want  of  space,  much  has 
been  omitted  there,  and  it  has  been  thought  that  to  furnish  a  few  more 
extracts  in  the  form  of  an  Appendix,  would  be  of  interest  to  members 
of  the  family,  and  also  to  others  who  may  like  to  study  the  details  of 
a  long  and  well-spent  life  of  two  generations  ago.  As  has  been  related, 
George  Arbuthnot,  then  a  young  man  of  twenty-nine,  went  out  to 
Ceylon  with  his  brother  Robert  in  1801,  sailing  in  the  Henry  Dundas 
under  escort,  owing  to  the  war  with  France.  An  odd  volume  of  diary 
kept  by  George  Arbuthnot  during  this  .voyage  was  apparently  given 
by  him  years  later  to  his  youngest  son,  William  Reierson,  and,  still 
later,  was  given  by  the  latter  to  his  eldest  surviving  son,  my  husband. 
Many  other  volumes,  of  a  much  later  date,  written  after  his  return 
from  India,  are  now  at  Warthill,  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  WiUiam 
Arbuthnot-Leslie.  The  intermediate  volumes  seem  to  have  been  lost, 
and  have  been  enquired  for  in  vain  in  the  family. 

In  the  hope  that  this  diary  will  be  of  interest  to  some  of  the  descend- 
ants of  George  Arbuthnot,  it  has  been  decided  to  quote  it  at  consider- 
able length.  It  commences  before  their  departure  from  England, 
on  Saturday,  i8th  April,  1801,  as  follows  : 

"  Breakfasted  with  my  Brother  at  our  Lodgings  in  Suffolk  Street, 
and  remained  there,  finishing  the  Packing  up  of  our  Cloaths  &c.  till 
Eleven  A.M.  Then  made  the  following  visits,  viz'  Lord  and  Lady 
Hardwicke  and  Alexander  Davidson  in  St.  James'  Square,  then  the 
Pay  Office,  Somerset  Place,  the  Leslies,  Mr.  Coutts',  Lady  Margaret 
Fordyce,  Lady  Charlotte  Lindsay  and  Lord  and  Lady  Glenbervie. 
After  which  I  went  to  Harley  Street,  where  Robert  likewise  came. 


446  3IEM0RIES    OF    THE    ARBUTIINOTS 

My  sister  and  I  went  and  called  for  a  few  minutes  at  Mrs.  Ross's, 
where  1  met  with  the  Todds.  We  then  returned  to  Harley  Street, 
and  remained  there  until  3  o'clock,  when  we  took  leave  of  my  father, 
mother,  Jane  and  Mrs.  Keith.  ...  At  our  lodgings  we  were  joined 
by  John  and  Coutts  Trotter  and  Frank  Laing,  who  at  5  o'clock  saw 
us  off  in  a  Post  Chaise  for  Portsmouth.  We  changed  Horses  at  the 
Castle  Inn  at  Kingston,  and  arrived  at  Cobham  about  8  o'clock,  where 
we  determined  to  stop  for  the  night.     The  inn  is  not  good. 

"  Sunday,  April  19th.  Set  off  from  Cobham  at  6  A.M.  and  came 
to  Guilford,  where  we  breakfasted.  Fell  in  here  with  John  Maitland's 
Curricle.  From  Guilford  to  Liphook,  an  excellent  Inn,  and  where 
(should  I  travel  this  road  again)  I  shall  take  up  my  night's  quarters. 
From  Liphook  to  Petersham,  where  my  Brother  visited  his  old  military 
Quarters.  From  thence  to  Horndean,  and  then  to  Portsmouth,  where 
we  arrived  about  4  o'clock, — and  drove  to  the  George.  .  .  .  After 
dinner  I  went  and  secured  Lodgings  at  the  House  of  a  Mr.  Casher,  a 
wine-merchant  in  the  High  Street,  where  we  got  3  good  Rooms  and 
a  Servant's  Room  for  26  Shillings  a  week. 

"  In  the  Evening  our  Servants  arrived  by  the  Stage  Coach.  Wrote 
to  my  mother  and  to  L**  Glenbervie. 

"  Monday,  20  :  April.  .  .  .  Before  Dinner  this  day,  we  took  a  Boat, 
and  together  with  Erskine  and  Wood  went  on  board  the  W  Dundas 
at  the  Mother  Bank,  where  we  found  things  nearly  in  as  much  Confusion 
as  when  we  saw  her  at  Gravcsend,  and  the  space  allotted  for  our 
Cabin  choaked  up  w'  a  variety  of  Trunks,  Cases  and  parcels  :  Mr. 
Gray,  the  Chief  Off',  promised  to  get  our  Birth  cleared  to-morrow,  and 
the  canvas  of  the  Cabin  set  up,  on  which  we  left  him.  .  .  . 

"  Tuesday,  April  21".  Rec"*  Letters  from  my  mother,  L*"  Glen- 
bervie, Coutts  Trotter  and  Frank  Laing.  After  breakfast,  went  .  .  . 
on  board  the  Admiral's  Barge,  in  which  we  rowed  up  Ports""  Harbour, 
and  passed  a  number  of  Old  Men-of-War,  now  employed  as  Prison 
and  Hospital  Ships  :  arrived  at  Porchester,  we  landed  close  to  the 
Castle,  and  walked  first  through  the  Barracks,  which  are  airy  and 
Commodious.  We  then  entered  the  Castle  walls,  the  whole  area  of 
w''  now  serves  as  a  depot  of  Prisoners  of  war  ;  the  number  at  present 
Confined  in  this  place  is  4.400,  and  they  are  almost  all  French  sailors. 
They  are  guarded  at  pres'  by  the  North  Lincoln  and  Dorsetshire  Regt' 
of  Militia  ;  an  officer  of  the  latter  conducted  us  thro'  the  Prison,  we 
were  like  to  be  devoured  by  Beggars,  and  by  solicitations  to  purchase 
Toys,  made  of  Bones  and  straw,  many  of  them  curious  and  engenious. 
— On  the  whole,  the  Prison  seemed  to  me  a  place  of  great  misery  and 
wretchedness  :  on  our  return,  and  having  the  wind  fair,  we  sailed  down 
the  Harbour  and  landed  at  the  Dock  yard,  which  we  walked  over, 
and  went  on  board  several  ships  of  war,  particularly  Lc  Guillaume 
Tell,  now  the  Malta,  and  Goliah,  both  74 's,  and  the  Dreadnought,  a 
three  Decker.     From  the  Dock  yard  we  went  to  the  Telegraph  which 


GEORGE    ARBUTHNOT,    FIRST    OF    ELDERSLIE   447 

was  then  at  work  and  (as  we  afterwards  learned)  was  in  the  act  of 
receiving  orders  for  the  Arethusa  to  get  ready  to  sail  on  Thursday 
morning  with  the  ships  for  Bengal,  Madras  and  China.  .  .  . 

"  Wednesday,  April  22"*^.  After  settling  accounts  .  .  .  came  on 
the  H^  Dundas  at  the  Mother  Bank.  Here  we  found  most  of  the 
Passengers  already  established,  as  also  John  Maitland,  who  came  to 
see  and  take  leave  of  Campbell,  our  2"'^  off^  The  first  thing  that 
occupied  us  was  to  get  the  Cabin  put  in  order,  in  doing  which  we  per- 
ceived that  many  things  were  wanting  to  our  Comfort  and  convenience ; 
this  circumstance  determined  me  to  take  the  opportunity  of  the  Dart 
cutter,  then  going  to  Gosport,  to  return  to  the  shore,  and  get  the 
assistance  of  Mr.  Kitson  in  making  the  purchases  I  wanted. 

"  It  was  9  o'clock  P.M.  before  I  reached  Gosport  and  I  was  so 
unlucky  as  to  find  that  Kitson  was  not  at  home  ;  I  was,  however, 
very  kindly  rec*^  by  his  wife  and  sister,  who  assisted  me  in  getting 
the  things  I  had  to  buy,  and  even  made  me  a  present  of  a  very  hand- 
some Shade  Lamp. — At  Eleven  o'clock  I  went  to  Bed,  without  seeing 
Kitson,  and  determined  to  set  off  next  morning  at  6,  at  w"^  Hour  Adm' 
H.  and  Mr.  P.  promised  to  meet  me  in  the  Dart. 

"  Thursday,  April  23'^''.  I  rose  at  I  past  5  o'clock  and  walked  out. 
A  boatman  told  me  that  the  Arethusa  had  made  the  Signal  to  get  under 
way  at  Day  break,  and  that  the  Fleet  was  now  unmoored  and  actually 
getting  up  their  Sails.  I  returned  to  Mr.  Kitson  as  fast  as  I  could, 
and  wondering  what  had  become  of  the  Dart,  prevailed  on  him  to  cross 
over  to  Portsmouth  with  me.  We  got  into  a  Boat,  he  having  sent  his 
serv'  w'  all  my  purchases  to  wait  for  us  at  the  Point,  when  in  the  middle 
of  the  Harbour  we  saw  and  hailed  the  Dart,  \w^  had  no  sooner  taken  me 
on  board  than  Adm'  Hamilton,  in  great  agitation,  told  me  I  ran  the 
greatest  chance  of  losing  my  passage,  and  it  was  very  doubtful  if  the 
Dart  could  overtake  the  Convoy — we  set  off  under  all  the  Sail  that 
this  Httle  SP  could  carry,  leaving  Mr.  Kitson  to  go  on  shore  for  the  things, 
with  which  he  promised  to  follow  me  in  a  cutter  of  his  own,  or  in  the 
Pilot  Boat  ;  but  he  never  appeared.  In  an  hour  (i.e.  8  A.M.)  we 
reached  the  Henry  Dundas,  she  having  lain  to  for  us.  .  .  . 

"  Our  voyage  might  now  be  said  to  have  fairly  commenced. — We 
passed  thro'  the  Needles  at  9  o'clock,  and  sailed  down  Channell  with  a 
fine  Breeze  at  N.E.,  and  very  pleasant  weather.  ..." 

Writing  on  Saturday,  25th,  Mr.  Arbuthnot  gives  the  following  account 
of  his  fellow-passengers  : 

"  I  could  now  begin  to  form  some  sort  of  judgement  of  the  Characters 
and  dispositions  of  my  Brother  and  Sister  Passengers.  Colonel  and 
Mrs.  Carleton  are  about  28  or  30  y^  old  ;  he  is  the  eldest  son  of  Lord 
Dorchester,  and  is  going  to  join  his  Reg'  in  Bengal ;  he  is  an  handsome 
and  Gentleman-like  man,  very  Civil  and  well  bred  ;  but  he  seems  to 
be  somewhat  melancholy  and  is  extremely  reserved  and  silent. — Mrs.  C. 


448  MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

was  Miss  Belford  :  she  seems  rather  Older  than  the  Colonel,  she  is 
handsome,  Hvely  and  agreeable,  and  by  no  means  resembles  her  Spouse 
in  reserve  and  taciturnity,  they  both  appear  to  have  lived  in  good 
Comp''  but  neither  have  ever  read  a  Book. — Col.  Garstin  and  his 
Lady  have  resided  in  India  during  a  great  part  of  their  Lives,  and 
from  the  little  I  have  as  yet  conversed  with  them,  seem  to  have  borrowed 
all  their  ideas  from  that  part  of  the  world,  at  least  all  their  ideas  of 
perfection,  for,  to  hear  the  Col.  speak,  one  would  imagine  Bengal  to 
be  Paradise,  and  England  little  better  than  Purgatory.  Mrs.  Garstin 
appears  to  be  a  notable,  and  in  many  respects  a  sensible  woman,  but 
(like  her  husband)  very  little  acquainted  with  the  world- — of  England, — 
however  well  she  may  be  so  with  that  of  the  East. — She  seems  to  carry 
her  ideas  of  strictness  and  propriety  to  a  greater  length  than  either 
prudence  or  virtue  require,  at  least,  so  I  am  disposed  to  think  from  her 
averseness  to  the  young  Ladies  who  are  under  her  Care,  dancing  or 
otherwise  amusing  themselves. 

"  Miss  Carruthers  is  a  relation  of  the  Captain's  and  niece  to  Sir 
Robert  Lawrie.  She  seems  to  be  about  28  y'*  old,  and  is  a  sedate  and 
quiet-like  woman. 

"  Miss  Alicia  Boileau  is  Irish,  but  has  hardly  any  of  the  Brogue  ; 
she  is  a  clever  and  good  humoured  Girl,  not  much  acquainted  with  the 
world,  nor  has  she  ever  been  in  good  Comp'',  but  seems  to  have  read  a 
good  deal. 

"  Her  Sister,  Miss  Maria  Boileau,  is  just  17,  a  good  natured, 
Plump,  Little  Irish  Girl,  with  a  strong  Brogue,  and  the  most  perfect 
ignorance  of  the  world  and  its  ways. — I  have  been  placed  at  Dinner 
between  the  Miss  B's,  and  can  therefore  speak  the  better  to  their 
character. 

"  Miss  Mercer,  Miss  Atkins  and  Miss  Pattle  ;  of  these  Ladies  I  can 
say  little,  as  I  have  not  had  much  opportunity  of  Conversing  with  them. 
Miss  Mercer  is  about  17,  not  pretty,  but  good  humoured,  perfectly 
naive,  et  par  consequent  interessante  ;  she  is  from  India,  and  seems 
to  have  a  Shade  of  black  blood  in  her.  She  has  been  brought  up  in 
Lancashire,  and  has  contrived  to  imbibe,  in  great  purity,  the  Accent 
of  that  County. 

"  Miss  Atkins  is  also  a  half  Cast  East  Indian,  she  has  a  very  neat 
little  Figure,  but  the  beauty  of  her  Countenance  is  unluckily  injured 
by  a  certain  inflammation  about  the  point  of  her  nose  which  serves  to 
give  her  an  appearance  somewhat  Choleric. 

"  Miss  Pattle  has  hardly  made  her  appearance  on  Deck,  so  I  am  able 
to  say  nothing  of  her,  except  that  I  hope  the  beauties  of  her  mind  exceed 
those  of  her  person. 

"  Among  the  male  Passengers  there  seems  to  be  a  variety  of  characters, 
as  may  naturally  be  expected.  ..." 

"  Sunday,  26. — Pleasant  weather  and  light  Breezes,  in  the  afternoon 
nearly  Calm. 


GEORGE   ARBUTHNOT,    FIRST   OF   ELDERSLIE    449 

"  Mon.  27.  The  Calm  still  continues  and  is  not  terminated  until 
2  p.m.,  when  a  tine  breeze  at  S.S.E.  springs  up  and  Carries  us  past  the 
Bay  of  Biscay. — After  Dinner,  some  of  the  young  men  got  aloft  upon 
the  Shrouds,  and  were  followed  by  the  Sailors  who  made  them  fast 
Neck  and  Heels,  and  kept  them  so  until  they  had  paid  their  forfeit, 
or  promised  to  pay  it  in  grog. 

"  Tu.  28"".  A  line  breeze  and  delightful  weather,  our  ship  seems 
to  have  fallen  ol^  in  her  sailing,  for  she  now  lags  astern  of  the  Fleet. 
The  Arethusa  had  two  Chaces  to-day,  first  after  a  vessel  which  proved 
to  be  an  English  S^  of  war,  and  then  a  small  B^,  with  which  we  could 
not  come  up.  .  .  . 

"  Wed.  29.     ...  The  Cow  became  sick  to-day,  and  gave  no  milk. 

"  Thur.  (May)  7.  During  the  night  a  fine  Breeze  sprung  up  and 
Continues.  Got  the  Trunks  on  Deck,  and  all  hands  (of  Passengers) 
busily  employed  in  looking  out  smart  Cloaths  for  Madeira,  which  we 
expect  to  see  to-morrow.  .  .  .  ;  men  placed  at  the  Fore  and  main  mast 
Heads  to  look  out." 

The  following  day  they  reached  Madeira,  and  Mr.  Arbuthnot  writes  : 
"  At  6  P.M.  we  came  in  sight  of  Funchall,  the  Principal  Town,  the  view 
of  which  is  beautiful  and  Picturesque.  At  8  P.M.  we  came  in  to  the 
Road  of  Funchall,  and  while  preparing  to  cast  anchor,  were  fired  upon 
from  a  Fort  called  the  Loo  Rock.  Capt.  C.'  ordered  Mr.  Campbell  to 
go  on  Shore  in  the  Cutter,  and  my  Brother  accompanied  him.  They 
waited  on  Mr.  Pringle,  the  Br.  Consul,  and  on  the  Gov'',  Dom.  Manuel 
de  Camhara,  who  gave  permission  for  us  to  Anchor  immediately, 
altho'  Contrary  to  the  Orders  of  his  Gov',  which  direct  that  no  strange 
ship  shall  anchor  in  the  Road  of  Funchall  after  Sun  Set.  It  was  near 
midnight  before  the  boat  returned,  and  Capt.  Carruthers  w''  not  then 
avail  himself  of  the  Gov"  Permission,  but  stood  off  Shore  until  morning." 

The  following  day  the  ship  entered  the  port,  and  a  Mr.  Wardrop 
"  of  the  House  of  Murdoch,  Masterson  and  C°,"  came  on  board  and 
invited  George  Arbuthnot  and  his  brother  to  take  up  their  abode  in 
his  house  on  shore  for  a  time.  They  gladly  accepted  the  offer,  and 
"  passed  the  evening  very  comfortably,  and  slept  luxuriantly  in  a 
large,  airy  room." 

Concerning  the  natives  of  Madeira,  Mr.  Arbuthnot  writes  :  "  The 
People  at  Madeira  are  of  a  very  swarthy  or  rather  Yellow  Complexion, 
and  like  most  mountaneers,  they  are  strong  and  active,  indeed  their 
powers  in  ascending  and  descending  Hills  even  exceed  those  of  any 
Scotch  Highlanders  I  have  seen.  The  Countrymen  wear  a  blue  jacket, 
wide  Cotton  or  Linen  Drawers,  and  Boots  made  of  Brown  Leather, 
dressed  by  themselves  ;  they  wear  on  their  head  a  small  blue  Cap,  with 
little  red  Ears,  and  Carry  a  large  Staff  in  their  hand  with  a  long  Pike 
in  the  end  of  it.  The  female  Peasants  have  nothing  to  boast  of  either 
'  Captain  Carruthers,  of  the  Henry  Dundas. 
29 


450  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

in  regard  to  Beauty  or  Cleanliness,  they  are  in  general  Shocking  looking 
Creatures,  and  those  even  who  have  in  their  early  Youth  any  thing  like 
a  pleasing  Countenance,  lose  it  before  they  arrive  at  the  age  of  Twenty. 
— From  what  I  could  learn  and  observe,  the  Ladies  of  this  Island, 
both  single  and  married,  are  not  very  scrupulous  or  straight-laced, 
and  if  their  Charme  be  not  very  Captivating,  they  try  to  Compensate 
by  the  Liberality  with  which  they  deal  out  their  favours.  This  I  say 
from  y^  report  of  others  and  from  what  I  could  observe  of  their  manners, 
and  not  from  experience,  therefore  I  may  perhaps,  in  entertaining  this 
idea,  do  the  fair  (say  black)  creatures  injustice." 

The  following  day,  Sunday,  the  loth  May,  he  writes:  "After 
breakfast,  a  party  of  us  went  to  hear  High  Mass  at  the  Cathedral, 
after  which  we  visited  several  other  Churches,  at  one  of  which  there 
is  a  Chapel,  the  inside  of  which  is  lined  throughout  with  human  skulls 
and  thigh  bones. — After  this  I  dressed  in  Black,  with  Sword  and 
Cocked  Hat,  and  in  this  Guise  waited  on  the  Governor,  along  with 
Captain  Carruthers  and  Cols.  Carleton  and  Garstin.  We  were  very 
politely  received  by  his  Exc^',  and  Conversed  with  him  in  French  ; 
he  informed  us  of  Wednesday  next  being  the  Birthday  of  the  Prince 
of  Brazil,  when  there  w**  be  Te  Deum  sung,  and  that  on  the  Sunday 
following  there  w**  be  a  fete  at  the  Palace  to  which  he  desired  our  Comp''. 
From  the  Gov"  we  proceeded  to  the  Consul's,  with  whom  I  had  some 
acquaintance  in  England.  ..." 

On  Wednesday,  13th,  Mr.  Arbuthnot  writes  :  "  This  being  the 
Birthday  of  the  Prince  Regent  of  Brazil  was  observed  as  a  Holliday. 
The  W  Diindas  and  Preston  dressed  their  Colours  early  in  the  morning, 
the  Union  Jack  at  the  main  and  Portugueze  Flag  at  the  Fore  top  mast 
head.  Early  in  the  forenoon,  I  went  with  the  Ladies  to  the  Church 
of  the  Convent  of  Santa  Clara,  to  witness  the  Profession  of  a  Nun. 

"  This  Ceremony  is  the  last  which  a  Novice  goes  through,  and  with 
it  she  begins  to  wear  the  black  veil.  The  church  was  handsomely 
decorated,  and  the  floor  laid  with  Carpet  of  English  manufacture, 
and  that  was  strewed  with  Flowers  ;  at  one  end  stood  the  altar,  at 
the  other  was  the  Grate,  and  beyond  it  the  Chapel  of  the  Convent, 
in  which  the  nuns  appeared.  After  mass,  the  priests  advanced  in 
Procession  to  the  Grate  and  administered  the  Sacrament  to  the  young 
nun,  who  then  began  her  Profess",  which  she  sang.  When  she  had 
ended  her  vows,  two  of  the  old  nuns  placed  a  small  Crown  of  Flowers 
upon  her  Head,  and  then.  Conducted  by  these  2  elderly  Ladies,  she 
went  round  the  Chapel  and  embraced  the  whole  Sisterhood.  I  happened 
to  be  placed  next  the  Brother  of  the  young  nun,  who  took  me  to  the 
parlour  after  the  Ceremony  was  over  and  introduced  me  to  his  Sister, 
her  name  was  '  Maria  Antonia  de  Camara,'  her  age  16,  of  a  very  dark 
Complexion,  but  with  fine  Black  Eyes,  and  beautiful  teeth,  on  the 
whole  a  pleasing  and  interesting  Countenance.  .  .  .  When  I  returned 


GEORGE   ARBUTHNOT,    FIRST   OF   ELDERSLIE    451 

from  St.  Claire,  I  had  little  more  than  time  to  dress  in  order  to 
attend  the  Ladies  to  the  Cathedral.  The  Bishop  had  ordered  Seats 
to  be  placed  for  them  immediately  below  the  great  altar.  Soon  after 
we  were  placed,  the  Gentlemen  of  the  English  Factory  entered  in 
Procession,  and  then  came  the  Governor  and  his  Suite.  His  Exc^  dressed 
in  scarlet,  trimmed  with  Gold  Lace  about  3  Inches  Broad,  a  Chapeau 
plume,  and  a  magnificent  Cane  with  a  diamond  head  in  his  hand. 
He  placed  himself  on  the  left  of  the  Altar,  while  on  the  right  sat  the 
Bishop  on  a  kind  of  Throne  under  a  Canopy. — '  Te  Deum  '  was  then 
sung,  and  in  the  middle  of  it  there  was  a  Royal  Salute  from  some 
field  Pieces  placed  at  the  Church  Door,  and  also  from  the  Ships  in  the 
Road,  which  had  been  joined  an  hour  before  by  the  Ardhusa,  and 
Captain  Wolley  came  into  the  Cathedral.  ..." 

"Sat.  i6th  May.  On  board  ship  the  greatest  part  of  the  morning, 
getting  dresses  for  my  Brother  and  self  to  appear  at  the  Governor's 
Ball  to-morrow.  As  I  returned  on  shore,  I  met  Captain  Wolley,  who 
asked  me  to  dine  with  him  and  some  Friends  on  board  the  Arethusa,  which 
I  did,  and  had  a  very  agreeable  little  party  and  an  excellent  dinner  ; 
it  was  the  more  agreeable  to  me  that  it  was  the  first  day  since  my 
departure  from  England  that  I  had  sat  down  to  a  Table  of  less  than 
20  Covers.  ..." 

On  Sunday,  the  17th,  the  Governor's  ball  took  place.  Mr.  Arbuthnot 
writes  :  "  Captain  Wolley,  with  2  of  his  midship"  and  my  Brother  and 
I  dined  at  '  val  Formosa,'  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Murdoch  and  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Masterton.  We  returned  to  the  Town  and  dressed  Cap-a-pee, 
and  then  proceeded  to  the  Palace. 

"  The  Assembly  was  already  numerous,  and  the  entertainment 
begun.  It  opened  with  a  Concert  (very  ill  performed)  in  which  some 
fat  friars  were  the  Principal  Singers.  The  music  done,  we  went  to  an 
other  apartment,  where  there  was  a  Ball,  at  which  nothing  was  danced 
but  English  and  Scotch  Country  Dances.  The  Portugueze  Ladies, 
as  well  as  ours,  were  rigged  out  in  all  their  finery,  and  they  displayed  a 
great  number  of  diamonds, — but  they  were  in  general  Dowdy  looking 
figures  and  had  universally  their  Hair  bedaubed  with  Powder  and 
Pomatum.  I  wished  to  hear  something  of  their  Conversation,  and 
with  that  view  attached  myself  to  Two  genteel  like  women  about  30, 
who  did  not  dance  ; — with  them  I  got  well  acquainted,  and  found 
them  both  good  natured  and  lively.  The  one  of  these  Ladies  was 
Donna  Maria,  the  wife  of  a  Gentleman  present,  and  the  other  was 
Donna  Anna,  the  widow  of  Dom  '  Lewis  de  Caravalha,'  the  greatest 
Seigneur  of  the  Island,  whose  estate  is  estimated  at  £12,000  st*^  a-y'. 
He  died  about  2  years  ago  and  was  succeeded  by  his  Brother,  Dom 
Juan  de  Caravalha,  a  genteel  young  man  of  about  25,  who  was  present, 
and  who  spoke  to  me  in  very  good  English.  Donna  Maria  spoke  a 
little  French,  by  the  help  of  which,  joined  to  my  few  words  of  Portugueze, 


452  MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

we  Contrived  to  keep  up  a  Conversation. — About  12  o'clock,  Supper 
was  announced,  and  we  all  proceeded  to  a  very  long  Room  or  Gallery, 
in  which  there  was  a  Table  with  300  Covers,  and  really  a  very  elegant 
Repast.  The  Gov"',  the  Bishop,  Mrs.  Carleton,  Miss  Boileau,  and 
'  Donna  Louisa,'  a  Portugueze  Lady  (with  whom  the  Gov''  is  said  to 
be  in  Love)  sat  at  the  Top  of  the  Table,  and  next  to  them  were  Donnas 
Maria  and  Anna,  between  whom  I  was  placed.  After  Supper  we  were 
conducted  to  a  Room  in  the  form  of  a  Grotto,  with  a  model  of  Parnassus 
in  the  Middle,  and  on  the  4  sides  were  placed  the  Busts  of  Homer, 
Virgil,  Milton  and  Camoens.  Round  the  room,  on  the  wall,  were 
Portugueze  Inscriptions  in  honour  of  the  Prince,  and  at  the  Foot  of 
the  Mountain,  instead  of  the  Waters  of  Helicon,  there  flowed  some 
'  right  Marisqiiino,'  which  the  Gov''  dispensed  to  all  around.  Silence 
was  then  Commanded,  and  a  Poet  recited  some  verses  Composed  for 
the  occasion,  the  Text  of  which  he  took  from  one  of  the  Inscriptions 
on  the  wall,  which  began  with  '  Do  Nome  Augusto,'  and  w""  3  words 
seemed  to  be  the  burthen  of  the  song.  The  Poet  was  much  applauded  ; 
he  was  followed  by  two  others,  with  one  of  whom  the  Gov'  seemed  so 
much  dehghted  that  he  administered  to  him  with  his  own  Hand  a 
draught  of  the  Cordial  from  the  Sacred  Mount,  which  the  Author  swal- 
lowed with  as  much  zeal  and  fervour  as  if  the  Beverage  had  actually 
issued  from  Hippocrene  or  Helicon.  'We  returned  to  the  Dancing  Room 
and  I  placed  myself  again  between  my  2  Donnas,  they  were  so  kind 
as  to  invite  me  to  their  respective  Houses,  but  I  could  not  avail 
myself  of  their  goodness,  I  therefore  kissed  their  hands  and  took 
leave. 

"  Mon.  iS**".  At  Day  Break  the  Arethusa  loosened  her  Top  Sails 
and  hoisted  Blue  Peter.  At  10  A.M.,  we  took  leave  of  Mess"  Masterton 
and  'Wardrop  and,  with  Capt.  Carruthers  and  some  of  the  Ladies,  em- 
barked in  the  Cutter  at  the  '  Loo,'  and  Came  on  board  the  H^  Dundas. 
— At  noon  we  got  up  our  Anchor,  and  stood  off  and  on,  waiting  for  the 
Signal  to  get  under  way.  At  this  time  Several  Shot  were  fired  at  us 
from  the  Loo  and  another  Battery,  one  of  these  struck  the  Cutter, 
which  we  were  hoisting  in  and  narrowly  missed  2  men  who  were  in  the 
Boat  at  the  time.  Capt.  C.  sent  his  Second  Officer  to  report  this  wanton 
outrage  to  Capt.  'Wolley,  who  went  immediately  on  shore  and  repre- 
sented the  matter  in  proper  terms  to  the  Gov',  who  assured  him  that 
such  an  insult  was  very  Contrary  to  his  orders  and  wishes,  and  that  by 
way  of  redress  he  should  order  the  officer  who  had  Caused  the  firing  into 
immediate  Confinement. — The  occasion  of  the  firing  (at  least  the  reason 
alledged  by  the  officer)  was  that  we  were  getting  under  way  without 
having  been  visited  by  the  Officer  of  Health  and  Captain  of  the  Fort, 
to  see  that  no  Deserters  from  the  Island  were  on  board,  altho'  we 
were  at  the  time  of  the  firing  lying  to  with  backed  Top  Sails. — By 
the  delays  of  the  Preston  (our  East  India  Consort)  we  did  not  get  under 
way  till  6  P.M.  .  .  . 


GEORGE   ARBUTHNOT,   FIRST   OF   ELDERSLIE    453 

"  Tuesday,  26  May. — CapfWolley  came  on  board,  and  after  paying 
us  a  visit  of  an  Hour,  returned  and  took  my  Brother  with  him  to  the 
Ardhusa  ;  on  their  way  thither  they  paid  a  visit  to  the  Preston.  .  .  . 

"  Fri.  29.  ...  At  2  P.M.  the  Ardhusa  spoke  us  ;  I  was  writing 
in  my  Cabin  from  whence  I  saw  my  Brother  sitting  in  the  great  Cabin 
of  the  Ardhusa  ;  I  was  much  surprised  and  distressed  to  hear  from 
Capt°  Wolley  that  Robert  had  been  attacked  by  a  violet  fit  of  Rheu- 
matism and  was  then  contaned  to  the  sofa  on  w*"  I  saw  him.  I  would 
have  fain  gone  to  join  him  that  day,  but  as  Capt°  Wolley  did  not  propose 
it,  I  could  not. 

"  Sat.  30.  ...  At  3  P.M.  the  Commodore  spoke  us  and  Capt" 
Wolley  informed  that  my  Brother  still  continued  ill,  and  asked  me 
to  come  on  board  the  Ardhusa  after  Dinner. — I  did  so  at  6  P.M.,  in 
the  Jolly  Boat  with  Campbell,  and  found  Robert  very  much  indisposed 
indeed,  and  quite  unable  to  move.  Capt°  Wolley  insisted  on  my  re- 
maining all  night,  and  sent  Mr.  Campbell  back  in  the  Boat. 

"  Ardhusa,  June  31^'.  The  weather  rather  unsettled  and  showery. 
Robert  in  great  pain  from  the  Rheumatism,  and  some  degree  of  Fever, 
but  not  high  ;  he  is  most  assiduously  attended  by  Dr.  Bain  and  Mr. 
Williamson  the  mate,  and  kindly  nursed  by  Capt"  Wolley  himself,  so 
that  except  the  Satisfaction  of  being  near  my  Brother,  I  am  really  of 
no  use  to  him. — At  lo  P.M.,  the  Ship's  Comp''  were  all  assembled  on  the 
Q''  Deck,  when  Cap"  Wolley  performed  Divine  Service,  the  People 
were  all  clean  and  well  dressed,  and  the  Marines  (36  in  number)  were 
in  their  full  uniform,  and  looked  as  well  as  the  Guards  on  the  Parade 
at  St.  James's.  There  was  something  very  pleasing  and  even  affecting 
in  the  extreme  decency  of  this  Congregation,  and  never  did  a  clergyman 
no,  nor  a  Bishop,  read  the  Service  with  more  pathos  and  effect  than  he 
who  now  performed  the  office.  Nothing  can  present  a  more  striking 
Contrast  than  the  state  of  the  two  ships,  H.D.  and  Ardhusa  ;  in  the 
one,  noise,  tumult.  Crowd  and  Dirtiness,  in  the  o'ther,  quiet,  tranquiUity, 
ample  room  and  Cleanliness.  Here  there  is  neither  Cursing,  swearing 
or  bawling,  when  a  manoeuvre  is  to  be  performed,  the  officer  of  the 
watch  gives  his  Command,  and  it  is  no  sooner  given  than  executed, 
without  another  word  being  said,  or  even  the  usual  Cries  made  by 
Sailors  in  hauling  a  Rope  to  give  the  time  to  their  Associates.  Indeed 
the  whole  of  Capt°  Wolley's  System  seems  to  be  an  admirable  mixture 
of  kindness  and  Coercion.  He  has,  to  be  sure,  had  the  same  Ship 
and  the  same  Crew  for  six  years,  a  Circumstance  which  has  enabled 
him  to  mould  his  plan  of  discipline  exactly  to  the  Character  and 
disposition  of  his  People,  he  is  intimately  acquainted  with  every  man 
in  the  Ship   and  according  to  that  he  punishes  and  rewards.  .   .  . 

"  Mon.  1st.  June.  This  Morning  my  Brother  was  a  little  easier, 
but  still  unable  to  move  ;  when  I  proposed  returning  to  the  H.D., 
Capt°  W.  told  me  that  I  might  go  there,  but  it  must  only  be  for  an 
Hour,  as  he  wished  me  to  Continue  with  my  Brother  on  board  his 


454  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

Ship.  I  came  accordingly  in  his  Jolly  Boat  and  procured  some  shirts 
etc.  In  a  long  Voyage  there  is  an  Uniformity  (I  do  not  say  ennui, 
for  I  have  felt  none)  which  makes  the  least  change  of  scene  appear  like 
a  great  event  ;  on  my  return  to  our  own  Ship  this  day,  the  two  that 
I  had  passed  in  the  Arethusa  appeared  equal  to  as  many  weeks,  and 
I  felt  quite  happy  to  see  again  my  friends  on  board.  After  passing  an 
Hour  with  them  and  procuring  a  few  changes  of  Linen  and  some  Books, 
came  back  to  the  Arethusa.  .  .  . 

"  Tues,  and.  Light  airs  and  fine  weather,  Ther.  8i°,  very  Hot, 
obliged  to  shorten  sail  for  the  Preston,  the  H.D.  is  rather  a-head  of  us. 

"  Wed.  3rd  June.  At  day  break,  the  Master,  being  on  Watch, 
reported  to  Capt"  W.  that  he  could  see  nothing  of  the  Convoy,  the  weather 
being  Hazy.  We  immediately  fired  several  Guns,  and  were  presently 
answ"^  by  the  H.D.  a-head  of  us,  the  Preston  greatly  astern. 

"  Thurdsay,  4.  The  King's  Birthday  was  celebrated  by  us  in  a  very 
quiet  and  orderly  manner,  being  marked  by  no  difference  from  other 
days  than  a  Bumper  to  His  Majesty's  Health  after  dinner,  and  an 
Extra  bottle  of  Spruce  in  the  Evening  :  It  was  Not  so  in  the  H.D.  :  there 
I  understand  much  Mirth,  JolHty  (and  some  little  intoxication  among 
the  Cadets)  prevailed,  and  in  the  Evening  they  Came  within  hail  of 
us  and  gave  us  God  Save  the  King  in  full  band  and  a  Chorus. 

"  Fri.  5.  I  did  intend  to  go  this  day  on  b'^  the  H.D. ,  but  at  10 
A.M.,  just  as  I  was  Setting  out,  the  wind  sprung  up  and  Capt"  W., 
being  anxious  to  take  advantage  of  the  Breeze,  I  postponed  my  visit 
and  we  made  Sail.  .  .  . 

"  Sat.  6.  My  Brother  still  Continues  Confined  to  the  Sofa  and 
suffers  occasionally  severe  pain  ;  Dr.  Bain  is  now  of  opinion  that  his 
Complaint  has  more  of  Gout  than  Rheumatism.  Robert's  general  health 
seems  good,  which  is  my  chief  Comfort.  At  3  P.M.  made  the  Signal 
for  the  H.D.  to  Come  near  us.  At  4  I  went  in  the  Arethusa's  Jolly 
boat  on  board,  and  through  the  awkwardness  of  the  Midshipman, 
(Mr.  Edgar),  who  steered,  very  near  missed  the  Ship  and  ran  astern, 
and  w"^  only  the  activity  of  my  friend  Campbell  prevented  our  doing. 
.  .  .  Having  announced  to  Capt"  Carruthers  and  all  the  Company 
Cap"  W.'s  intention  of  parting  Convoy  on  Tuesday  next,  and  desired 
them  to  get  ready  their  Letters  for  England,  I  took  my  Leave,  but  Could 
not  get  out  of  the  Ship  until  a  Signal  was  made  from  the  Frigate  for 
the  Boat  to  return.  On  my  way  back,  I  saw  two  birds  called  Petterals, 
or  more  commonly  by  the  Sailors,  '  Mother  Carey's  Chickens' 

"  Tues.  9.  This  Morning  about  i  o'clock  we  crossed  the  Line, 
and  shall  henceforward  have  to  look  North  for  the  Sun  at  Midday. 
— At  10  A.M.,  the  Cutter  being  prepared,  my  Brother  was  Carried  from 
the  Cabin  to  the  Main  Hatchway,  and  hoisted  in  a  Half  Cask  upon 
Deck,  and  from  thence  Lowered  into  the  Boat.  ...  I  accompanied 
Capt"  W.  into  the  Boat,  and  we  were  soon  along  side  of  the  H.D., 
into  which  Rob'  was  Hoisted  in  the  same  Machine  he  had  been  handed 


GEORGE   ARBUTHNOT,    FIRST   OF   ELDERSLIE    455 

in  when  he  left  the  Areihiisa.  Having  got  him  safely  down  into  his 
Cabin,  I  wrote  my  last  Letter  by  this  opportunity,  which  was  to  my 
Mother,  having  addressed  two  before  in  the  same  manner,  viz',  from 
off  the  Isle  of  Wight  and  from  off  Madeira.  At  i  p.m.  Captain  WoUey 
left  us.  I  could  not  part  with  him  without  sincere  regret,  his  kindness 
and  tenderness  to  my  Brother  during  his  severe  illness  and  his  CiviUty 
and  friendly  attention  to  myself,  as  well  as  his  disposition  and  manner 
in  general  having  inspired  me  with  sentiments  of  very  great  esteem 
and  regard  for  this  excellent  ofhcer. — Captain  Wolley  was  no  sooner 
gone  than  the  Ceremonies  usual  on  Crossing  the  Line  were  performed  : 
some  flags  were  drawn  athwart  the  Main  Deck,  near  the  foremast, 
which  formed  a  Curtain,  behind  which  the  Actors  in  this  strange 
Comedy  equipped  themselves.  The  story  to  be  represented  is  the 
visit  of  Neptune  to  the  Ship  on  crossing  the  Line,  where  he  is 
supposed  to  hold  his  Court,  on  which  occasion  he  deiiies  all  those  Persons 
on  board  (who  have  not  already  rec*^  that  Honour  on  former  occasions) 
by  the  Ceremonies  of  Ducking  and  Shaving.  Preparatory  to  these 
it  is  very  requisite  for  the  Novitiates  to  equip  themselves  as  well  as 
the  Professors.  My  Dress  was  a  Powdering  Jacket,  a  pair  of  Loose 
Trowsers,  old  shoes  and  bare  Legs.  The  performance  began  by  Neptune 
(supposed  to  be  in  the  Sea)  hailing  the  Ship,  and  desiring  to  know  whence 
we  came  and  whither  bound  ?  The  Capt"  from  the  Quarter  Deck, 
with  his  speaking  Trumpet,  answered  these  Questions,  and  then, 
informing  Neptune  that  he  had  several  Sons  and  Daughters  of  old 
England  on  board,  desired  the  favour  of  his  Company  to  enitiate  them 
into  the  Mysteries  of  his  Court.  Here  the  Curtain  was  taken  down  and 
the  retinue  of  Neptune  began  to  march  aft.- — These  consisted  of  some 
of  the  Seamen,  stripped  naked  from  the  Waist  and  their  bodies  tarred 
and  painted  various  Colours  ;  the  two  Principal  personages  among 
these  were  the  High  Constable  and  Barber  of  the  God,  the  one  Carrying 
his  Baton,  and  a  List  of  the  Novitiates  ;  and  the  other,  the  Implements 
of  his  Profession,  viz'  a  Box  of  Tar  in  lieu  of  Soap  Suds,  and  an  Old 
Saw  by  way  of  Razor.  Neptune's  Car  was  a  Gun  Carriage  Covered 
with  a  Flag  on  which  he  and  his  Lady  rode,  and  this  was  drawn  by  six 
Monsters  as  terrific  as  any  that  ever  issued  from  the  Main.  The  pro- 
cession advanced  (to  the  sound  of  Music)  to  the  Quarter  Deck,  when 
a  Parley  took  place  between  the  Captain  (w'  hat  in  hand)  and  the  Sea 
God.  They  drank  a  Glass  of  Grog  in  token  of  Amity  ;  the  Capt"  then 
retired  and  the  Ceremony  began. — The  Passengers  were  all  plentifully 
soused  with  Water  ;  but  they  escaped  Shaving,  thro'  the  intervention 
of  a  bottle  of  Grog,  sacrificed  to  Neptune.  The  younger  part  of  the 
crew  and  my  Servant  amongst  others,  did  not  recover  the  rough  edged 
Razor  for  several  days  ;  the  business  lasted  until  near  4  o'clock,  when 
it  was  stop''  on  account  of  Dinner. — At  8  P.M.,  we  ranged  close  up  to 
the  Arethusa  (which  had  Hoisted  the  Signal  of  parting  Convoy),  we 
had  all  our  Musicians  placed  on  the  Poop,  where  they  played  God 


456  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

Save  the  King  and  '  On  Board  of  the  Arethusa,'  and  then,  manning  our 
Shrouds,  we  gave  three  Cheers,  which  was  immediately  answ"*  by 
Capt°  Wolley  and  his  Crew. 

"  Wed.  10.  At  Day  Light  we  hoisted  our  Colours  as  Commodore, 
and  soon  after  we  saw  the  Frigate  stand  off  to  the  N.E.,  while  we,  with 
the  Preston  in  Comp'',  kept  our  Course  S.S.W. 

"  Thur.  II.  Brisk  Trade,  some  Squalls  of  Rain.  My  Brother 
felt  himself  no  worse  from  the  exertion  of  Tuesday,  but  he  is  still  quite 
incapable  of  moving. — This  day  I  resumed  the  occupation  I  had  given 
myself  for  some  time  before  my  visit  to  the  Arethusa,  of  teaching  Miss 
Maria  Boileau  the  French  Lang^,  and  shall  give  her  an  hour's  instruction 
every  day  after  breakfast. 

"  Fri.  12.  My  Brother  in  great  pain  to-day,  and  very  low  and 
uneasy.  .  .  . 

"  Wed.  17.  Crossed  the  Tropical  Line  (of  Capricorn),  the  weather 
is  now  becoming  cooler.  My  Brother  does  not  seem  to  suffer  from  the 
change,  as  I  should  have  expected.  .  .  . 

"  Sun.  21. — During  the  night  a  violent  Squall  and  very  Dark, 
fired  7  Guns  to  show  the  Preston  our  position  ;  at  day  light  discovered 
her  with  Top-sails  down  and  greatly  to  Leeward,  as  well  as  astern.  .  .  . 

"  Wed.  24  June.  Light  airs  and  cool  weather. — Denison,  the 
Capt°  of  the  afterguard,  having  behav'd  with  Insolence  to  Mr.  Gray, 
was  put  in  Confinement. 

"  Thurs.  25.  Employed  this  morning  getting  the  Trunks  on  deck 
and  overhauhng  them  ;  a  fine  Breeze,  but  unable  to  profit  by  it  in 
Consequence  of  the  extreme  tardiness  of  our  Consort.  At  10  A.M. 
Denison,  (who  had  lain  all  night  in  irons)  was  punished  with  a  Dozen.  .  .  . 

"  Sunday  28.  ...  The  Preston  much  improved  her  Sailing, 
and  is  this  day  nearly  along  side  of  us.  .  .  . 

"  Mon.  29.  A  Specimen  of  Cape  Weather  ;  Haze,  heavy  swell,  and 
much  rolHng  ;  obliged  to  keep  the  Ports  shut  all  day.  My  Brother 
does  not  however  seem  to  suffer  from  the  change  of  weather,  but  he 
is  terribly  annoyed  by  the  water  leaking  in  thro'  the  Skuttle  and 
dropping  on  his  Bed. 

"  Tues.  30th.  A  very  heavy  swell  and  great  rolling,  all  the  Ports 
shut,  in  consequence  of  w""  we  breakfasted  in  Col.  Carleton's  Cabin 
(which  has  stern  lights),  all  sitting  on  the  floor  ;  while  thus  employed, 
the  Ship  took  a  Heel  more  violent  than  any  we  had  yet  experienced, 
and  Miss  Carruthers,  being  in  the  next  Cabin,  was  thrown  with  violence 
against  our  door,  which,  giving  way,  she  came  through  and  lighted 
under  the  Sofa.  Mrs.  Carleton,  in  the  mean  time,  was  overset  also, 
and  rec'^  the  Contents  of  a  Coffee  Pot  on  her  Legs. — Miss  C.  sprained  her 
arm,  the  other  rec"^  no  great  hurt.  Whilst  in  the  midst  of  the  dis- 
tresses in  the  Carleton's  Cabin,  Robert  sent  for  me  and  I  found  him 
with  a  broken  Head,  a  Mutton  Ham  and  the  Plate  on  which  it  stood, 
having  fallen  down  and  Cut  him  in  an  alarming  place,  but  fortunately 


GEORGE   ARBUTHNOT,    FIRST   OF   ELDERSLIE    457 

not  deep.  The  Rolling  did  not  cease  all  day,  and  it  was  not  without 
difficulty  and  much  holding  on  that  we  could  sit  at  Table.  While 
we  were  there,  Bowler  (a  large  Newfoundland  Dog)  in  leaping  from  the 
Poop  to  the  Mizzen  Chains,  fell  over-board  and  was  lost.  Obliged  to 
lye-to  for  the  Preston,  made  her  Signal  to  make  more  Sail.  .  .  . 

"  Mon.  6.  (July).  The  Sick  List  is  very  Numerous  and  the  Ship 
wet  and  uncomfortable,  notwithstanding  which,  my  Brother  evidently 
gets  better, — he  can  now  walk  into  the  ne.xt  Cabin  with  the  assistance 
of  one  Person  only.  Passed  over  the  Meridian  of  London,  and  drank 
a  Bumper  to  all  friends  there. 

"  Tues.  7.  At  3  A.M.  Mr.  Bethune  (having  the  watch)  not  being 
able  to  see  the  Preston  from  the  Deck  or  Poop,  sent  Jonathan  Meyal, 
Q'  M'.,  aloft,  who  saw  her  distinctly  on  the  Larboard  Quarter,  when 
next  they  went  to  look,  viz'  at  8  A.M.  she  was  not  to  be  seen,  altho' 
the  weather  was  very  clear  and  the  sea  extremely  quiet. — We  backed 
our  Mizzen  topsail  and  lay-to  until  11  A.M.,  when  Capt"  C,  holding  a 
Council  with  his  3  Chief  Officers,  it  was  their  Opinion  that  our  Consort 
had  deserted  us  ;  and  had  gone  another  Course.  We  made  sail  accord- 
ingly, and  having  a  fine  fresh  Breeze  at  E.,  amounting  almost  to  a 
Gale,  we  made  a  great  Log  before  Night.  Much  uneasiness  and  great 
apprehensions  on  the  part  of  the  Inhabitants  of  Buckingham  House 
and  Poet's  Corner  in  Consequence  of  the  Separation  of  the  Preston 
and  the  increased  risk  of  being  attacked  by  an  Enemy. 

"  Wed.  8  July.  ...  At  6  A.M.  a  strange  Sail  was  seen  astern, 
at  8  o'c  made  the  Private  Signal  w'  a  Gun,  which  being  ans"*,  we  soon 
knew  the  Stranger  to  be  the  Preston.  Lay-to  for  her  until  she  was 
pretty  near  up  with  us,  then  made  Sail. 

"  Thurs.  9th.  Cloudy  and  a  good  deal  of  Swell,  at  noon  spoke  the 
Preston  and  on  asking  why  she  left  us,  recriminated,  and  said  we  had 
left  her. 

"  Friday  10.  ...  Robert  ventured  on  Deck  for  the  first  time 
and  passed  an  Hour  with  Col.  and  Mrs.  Garstin.  .  .  . 

"  Mon.  13.  Light  airs  and  fine  weather  and  no  Swell,  altho' 
approaching  to  the  Cape  in  the  Winter  Season.  .  .  . 

"  Tuesday  14.  Very  Light  Airs  and  Charming  Weather,  but  nearly 
Calm,  which  is  very  Surprising  at  this  Season  in  Such  a  Situation, 
being  now  South  of  the  Cape  in  Lat  36°  4'  and  E.  Lon.  18°  26'. — At 
I  P.M.  the  Lead  was  Cast  but  no  Bottom  found  with  a  90  fathom  line. 
Capt"  C.  is  now  determined  to  take  the  Mozambique  Passage  and  to 
touch  at  St.  Augustine's,  in  the  Island  of  Madagascar  for  refreshments, 
on  account  of  the  Sick. 

"  Wed.  15.  ...  Sail-makers  employed  in  making  Sails  for  the 
Long  Boat  and  Cutter,  preparatory  to  our  going  to  Madagascar. 

"  Thur.  16.  ...  As  it  seems  now  a  determined  point  that  we 
are  to  touch  at  Madagascar,  every  one  is  bringing  forward  Books  in 
which   that   Island   is   mentioned.     After   Dinner,    Mr.   Tolfrey   read 


458  MEMORIES    OF    THE   ARBUTHNOTS 

from  Anderson's  Recreations  in  Agriculture  S-c.  an  Account  said  to 
be  written  by  one  of  the  Persons  saved  out  of  the  Winterton.  This 
Memoir  gives  rather  a  dismal  Ace'  of  the  Isl''  and  its  Inhab'\  and  Mrs. 
Carleton,  who  has  been  pleasing  her  fancy  with  the  beauties  of  the 
Country,  its  fertility,  its  Meadows,  Brooks  and  Groves,  its  Milk,  its 
Fruits  and  Vegetables, — and  above  all  its  Inhabitants,  who,  altho' 
black,  might  be  Honest,  Simple  and  kind  ;  what  was  her  disappoint- 
ment'to  learn  that  the  soil  [was]  rugged,  barren  and  bare,  no  daisy 
strewed  meadows,  no  babbling  brooks,  no  myrtle  groves. — That  its 
fruits  are  confined  to  the  Soapy  Banana,  its  Vegetable  to  the  gross 
and  thready  Pumpkin  ;  that  the  Natives,  on  whom  all  our  Comfort 
must  Chiefly  depend,  unite  the  Vices  of  the  Barbarous  and  the  Refined. 
On  the  one  hand.  Rude,  ignorant  and  Slothful,  on  the  other,  Cunning, 
Debauched,  Dishonest.  This  evening  a  reconciliation  was  effected 
between  Col.  Garstin  and  Mr.  Tolfrey,  between  whom  a  Coolness  has 
subsisted  since  the  King's  Birthday,  in  Consequence  of  Mr.  T.  having 
that  Evening  pressed  for  the  Young  Ladies  to  dance,  contrary  to  the 
inclination  of  Mrs.  G.  I  was  so  lucky  as  to  have  some  hand  in  the 
treaty  of  Amity,  which  was  entered  upon,  and  which  only  waits  the 
Sanction  of  the  Petticoat  Gov*  to  be  Ratified. 

"  Friday,  17  July.  The  fine  weather  continues  unchanged.  My 
Brother  is  now  able  to  Walk  a  little  without  support  and  remained  a 
Considerable  time  on  Deck.  .  .  . 

"  Wed.  aa"*  July.  .  .  .  Capt"  Carr^  wrote  a  Letter  to  his  4  Prin. 
Officers,  and  enclosed  Letters  he  had  rec''  from  Cols.  Carleton  and 
Garstin,  representing  the  Sickly  State  of  the  King's  and  Compy's 
Soldiers  on  board,  and  urging  the  necessity  of  putting  in  at  some  place 
prior  to  Columbo  for  refreshments,  at  same  time  quoting  the  final 
Instructions  he  rec*"  from  the  Court  of  Directors,  desiring  that  he  might 
stop  no  where  between  Madeira  and  Ceylon,  and  requesting  the  opinion 
of  his  Officers  on  the  Matter  ;  which  they  transmitted  to  him  in  their 
respective  Letters,  all  advising  him  to  take  the  Mozambique  Channell 
and  to  put  in  at  the  first  Port  for  the  benefit  of  the  Sick.  .  .  . 

"  Thurs.  23  July.  ...  A  fine,  fresh  Breeze  at  S.W.  by  W.,  being 
the  finest  Wind  that  can  blow  for  our  Course  up  the  Mozambique 
Channel.  Thornton  (a  Seaman)  very  insolent  to  Mr.  Gray,  and  put  in 
irons  on  the  Poop.  It  is  three  Months  this  day  since  we  sailed  from 
Portsm'*; — what  a  Change  of  Situation  ! 

"  Fri.  24.  ...  At  10  A.M.  punished  William  Hughes  w''  15 
Lashes  for  insolent  and  mutinous  expressions  in  regard  to  the  arrest 
of  Thornton.  The  latter  was  pardoned  (in  my  opinion,  very  impro- 
perly). .  .  . 

"  Satur.  I  Aug.  ...  St.  Augustine's  little  more  than  200  miles 
from  us,  and  we  expect  certainly  to  get  sight  of  it  to-morrow.  .  .  . 

"  Sunday  2.  A  very  fresh  Breeze  at  S.E.  which  will  render  it 
difficult  if  not  impossible  for  us  to  fetch  St.  Augustine's  Bay,  which 


GEORGE   ARBUTHNOT,    FIRST   OF   ELDERSLIE    459 

lies  E.N.E.  from  us,  dist.  about  60  or  70  miles  (as  we  suppose).  .  .  . 
A  general  anxiety  among  the  Passengers  about  going  in  to  St.  Augustine's 
and  great  apprehensions  that  we  may  be  obliged  to  pass  it.  Mrs. 
Carleton,  in  particular,  who  had  formed  many  delightful  schemes  for 
passing  her  time  agreeably  on  this  Island,  and  came  on  Deck  in  the 
morning  dressed,  as  she  said,  for  Landing,  how  great  was  her  disap- 
pointment on  being  told  that  we  should  not  reach  the  destined  Port, 
how  great  was  her  suspense  when  told  soon  after  that  there  was  a 
chance  of  being  able  to  make  it,  how  great  was  her  joy  when  at  2  o'clock 
the  land  was  seen  and  she  was  informed  that  we  should  probably  come 
to  anchor  in  the  Evening. — About  6  o'clock,  the  Land  became  very 
Visible  ;  from  the  Deck  it  appeared  to  be  very  low,  as  at  first  sight 
of  it  we  were  not  20  miles  from  it. — We  were  now  within  6  or  8  miles 
of  the  Island,  but  from  the  extreme  flatness  of  the  Coast,  we  could 
distinguish  no  objects  whatever,  and  it  being  near  night  fall,  Capt" 
Carruthers  determined  to  stand  off  and  on  till  the  morning,  therefore 
at  7  P.M.  put  about  Ship  and  lay  to  until  10,  when,  fearing  that  we 
should  fall  to  Leeward,  made  sail  and  stood  along  shore  to  the  South- 
ward. 

"  Mon.  3''.  I  rose  early  this  morning  and  went  on  deck  in  the  hope 
of  getting  a  fine  view  of  the  Coast  of  Madagascar,  when  to  my  dis- 
appointment I  found  that  we  had  got  so  much  to  the  S.W.  as  to  have 
entirely  lost  sight  of  the  Island,  and  that  the  wind  blew  directly  from 
St.  Augustine's  ;  Capt"  C.  determined  to  work  in  by  traverse  sailing. 
After  various  tackings,  we  got  sight  of  land  about  i  o'clock,  and  at 
4  began  our  sounding  in  25  Fathoms.  Making  towards  the  Land, 
we  perceived  a  3  masted  Ship  lying  at  Anchor  in  the  Mouth  of  the  Bay, 
on  which  we  immediately  hoisted  a  Pendant  of  our  Colours,  and  made 
some  preparation  towards  Clearing  out  for  action,  the  stranger  soon 
hoisted  her  Colours  and  we  found  them  to  be  those  of  the  East  In. 
Co^.  As  we  approached  her,  she  sent  a  Boat  on  board  with  an  officer 
who  told  us  she  was  the  Aurora  from  Bengal  to  England,  laden  with 
Rice.  We  passed  her  Stern  and  Came  to  Anchor  about  6  P.M.  .  . 
We  had  not  been  long  here  when  a  Canoe  Came  along  side,  with  Six 
Natives,  all  of  whom  spoke  Less  or  more  English. — The  Chief  of  them 
called  himself  Prince  Geoffrey,  another  was  Prince  of  Truro,  Brother 
to  Prince  W",  the  third  was  the  grand  Secretary  to  Prince  W",  the 
4""  was  called  Capt"  Stephen,  the  s""  Col.  Tom,  the  name  of  the  6  I 
did  not  hear  ;  we  took  them  in  to  the  Captain's  Cabin,  where  they 
Drank  Brandy  and  promised  us  on  behalf  of  King  Bau  Bau  (whom 
we  are  to  see)  Provisions  of  every  kind.  These  black  People  have 
a  good  deal  of  the  negro  Countenance,  but  on  the  whole  are  not  very 
ugly.  To  secure  a  good  name  amongst  them,  Capt"  C.  gave  each  a 
Bottle  of  Rum  away  with  them  ;  they  were  in  no  hurry  to  depart, 
and  made  some  strong  attempts  to  remain  all  night, — in  which,  however, 
they  did  not  succeed. 


460  MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

"  Tues.  4.  Soon  after  day  break,  a  number  of  Canoes  Came  off 
from  the  Shore  and  our  0'  Deck  was  Crowded  with  Natives.  These 
brought  various  Commodities  to  dispose  of  by  way  of  Barter,  such  as 
fowls,  fish,  milk,  sweet  potatoes,  yams,  Limes,  Lemons,  Bananas, 
Sugar  Canes  and  Carravanses.  These  they  exchanged  for  knives, 
Razors,  empty  Bottles,  pieces  of  Cloth,  handkerchiefs  and  Gun  powder, 
and  occasionally  for  money  ;  but  to  the  last  they  affix  a  very  inferior 
value  to  what  it  bears  in  Countries  where  it  is  the  Current  Medium 
of  Exchange,  and  until  our  knives  became  very  Common  among  them, 
they  would  give  a  greater  quantity  of  any  Article  for  one  of  these  which 
cost  15  pence  than  for  a  dollar  :  amongst  our  Visitors  this  morning 
were  two  Chiefs  called  Prince  William  and  Prince  Duke,  who  having 
promised  2  Bullocks  in  return  for  Muskets  given  them  by  Capt"  C, 
he  desired  that  I  would  go  ashore  in  the  Long  Boat  to  receive  them. 
At  10  o'clock  Left  the  Ship  along  with  Mr.  Bethune  in  the  Long  Boat, 
in  w*"  we  took  water  Casks  to  fill  in  the  River,  towards  which  we  directed 
our  Course.  Its  mouth  is  very  near  the  Tent  Rock  (opposite  to  which 
we  lie  at  Anchor),  at  that  place  it  appears  to  be  about  8  miles  broad, 
but  it  is  suddenly  contracted  to  the  breadth  of  half  a  mile,  and  this 
place  may  properly  be  Called  the  Mouth  of  the  River,  for  the  other 
is  rather  the  Bay  or  recess  in  the  Ocean.  It  is  impossible  for  vessels 
of  any  great  draft  of  water  to  go  up  this  River,  by  reason  of  a  Bar  of 
sand  extending  from  side  to  side,  which  at  low  water  is  not  above  3 
feet  below  the  Surface.  In  this  River  the  influence  of  the  Tide  in 
respect  to  the  taste  of  the  water  Ceases  a  very  short  distance  above  the 
Bar,  we  sailed  up  about  2  miles,  however,  and  put  into  a  Convenient 
Creek  for  filling  the  Casks.  Col.  and  Mrs.  Carleton  and  Mr.  Campbell, 
who  had  come  so  far  in  the  Long  Boat,  proceeded  up  the  River  a  mile 
further,  where  they  pitched  a  tent.  Mr.  Bethune  and  I,  with  our  ser- 
vants, entered  the  wood  on  the  left  side,  and,  conducted  by  the  two 
Princes,  we  Continued  our  Way  in  a  winding  foot  path  for  about  2 
miles,  when  we  reached  an  open  Sandy  plain  interspersed  with  the 
Large  Tamarind  Trees  ; — here  the  Princes  had  their  residence.  They 
told  me,  however,  that  this  was  not  their  Home,  but  only  a  temporary 
abode,  which  they  inhabited  during  the  stay  of  the  Ships  in  the  Bay. 
Their  Huts,  or  Tents,  as  they  Call  it,  are  made  of  Reeds  in  an  oblong 
form,  with  a  Conical  Roof  and  two  doors  placed  in  the  opposite  sides. 
The  workmanship  of  these  Huts  displays  a  Considerable  degree  of 
neatness  and  ingenuity,  but  there  seems  to  be  no  attention  whatever 
paid  to  "accommodation  within,  either  in  respect  to  height  or  to  the  ar- 
rangement of  the  surface.  We  came  first  to  the  Tent  of  Prince  William 
and  found  his  Family  seated  on  the  ground  in  front  of  it.  He  presented 
us  to  his  3  wives,  the  2  first  of  whom  are  called,  Embezie  and  Ramajah. 
The  youngest  and  favourite  children  of  these  wives  were  Huan  and 
Tuban,  both  Boys.  A  small  mat  was  spread  upon  the  ground,  on 
which  the  Pr.  and  his  two  Guests  sat  down,  and  were  regaled  with  a 


GEORGE   ARBUTHNOT,    FIRST   OF   ELDERSLIE    461 

draft  of  new  milk  from  the  hands  of  Rama j ah.  A  considerable  herd 
of  Cows  and  Bullocks  were  feeding  in  the  neighbourhood  on  thin 
long  Grass,  growing  in  tufts  among  the  Sand,  these  were  the  property 
of  a  number  of  individuals,  all  adherents  and  dependants  of  Prince 
William  and  Pr.  Duke.  Having  selected  a  fat  Bullock  from  the  first, 
and  got  it  sent  off  to  the  River,  I  next  paid  a  visit  at  the  Tent  of  Prince 
Duke,  and  was  presented  to  his  wife,  '  Naparee  '  and  to  '  Yangarla,' 
his  Daughter,  which  last  is  by  far  the  prettiest  woman  I  have  seen  on 
the  Island,  and  possessing  a  degree  of  modesty  and  decency  very  rare 
among  the  Mallegash  Ladies.  Having  passed  about  two  hours  with 
these  People  and  obtained  a  second  fine  Bullock  from  Pr.  Duke,  and 
the  promise  of  two  others  from  Prince  Henry  and  the  Duke  of  York 
for  next  day,  I  got  my  two  friends  to  Conduct  me  back  to  the  River, 
where  I  was  soon  joined  by  Bethune,  who  had  left  me  some  time  before. 
We  got  the  Bullocks  into  the  Long  Boat,  and  returned  to  the  Ship 
about  9  o'clock  in  the  Evening. 

"  Wed.  5.  The  Quarter  Deck  more  crowded  than  yesterday  with 
Natives. — My  Brother,  finding  himself  free  from  pain,  determined  to 
go  on  shore  to-day,  and  a  party  was  formed  Consisting  of  him,  the 
Miss  Boileaus,  Mr.  Tolfrey,  Capt"  Carruthers  and  me  in  the  Pinnace. 
We  set  off  at  11  A.M.  and  proceeded  up  the  River  to  a  village  about  a 
mile  higher  than  the  watering  creek,  where  ten  or  twelve  families  reside. 
The  Situation  of  this  village  is  pretty  enough,  the  huts  are  scattered 
about  from  place  to  place  and  there  are  fine  spreading  Tamarind 
Trees  growing  at  short  distances  from  each  other,  which  afford  the 
most  delightful  shade,  the  River  runs  in  front,  and  the  view  behind  is 
terminated  by  a  Hill  Covered  with  Trees.  The  Cattle  grazed  all  round 
the  village  on  a  Long,  thin,  ugly  Grass,  and  in  the  middle  was  a  fold 
or  Penn  Containing  a  great  number  of  calves.  This  spot  wanted  only 
verdure  to  be  beautiful,  but  the  Sand  which  covers  the  whole  Surface 
of  the  Country  round  St.  Augustine's  Bay  gives  it  an  arid  and  unfertile 
appearance. 

"  We  had  taken  with  us  Fish  and  Fowls  which  we  got  dressed  under 
a  Tree,  while  we  spread  our  Cloth  and  dined  under  another.  The  two 
Chiefs  of  this  village  are  '  Robert  Spens  '  and  '  John  Vowen,'  with  whom  I 
formed  an  acquaintance  and  got  from  them  a  Cow  and  Calf  for  a  Musket 
each.  I  engaged  two  other  Bullocks  for  next  day  from  '  Tom  Place  '  and 
'  Jack  Rivers '  the  sons  of  the  two  Chiefs.  We  were  also  introduced  to 
the  wives  of  these  men,  two  of  whom  were  pretty  and  interesting  Girls, 
especially  one  named  '  Atlangta,'  the  wife  of  Tom  Place,  this  woman 
took  a  great  liking  to  Miss  Boileau,  and  Called  her  '  Sister  Alicia.' 

"  We  returned  soon  after  dinner  to  our  Boat,  and  Came  down  the 
River  to  the  Long  Boat  Creek,  where  the  Miss  Boileaus,  Capt°  Carruthers 
and  I  landed  and  set  off  to  visit  the  '  Prince  of  Wales,'  who,  it  seems,  is 
Governor,  or  the  King's  Representative  in  these  parts.  His  Highness 
had  visited  us  in  the  morning,  and  a  most  grotesque  figure  he  was. 


462  MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

Some  person  had  given  him  a  Suit  of  Cloaths  consisting  of  an  Old 
Uniform  of  the  Hans  Town  Association,  an  Embroidered  Waistcoat, 
and  Cotton  Breeches, — and  an  old  hat  of  large  dimensions  round  the 
brim.  This  Prince  of  Wales  is  very  ill  made,  and  his  Cloaths  hung 
so  loosely  upon  him  that  I  could  compare  him  to  nothing  but  the  Straw 
figure  on  Guy  Fawkes  which  is  carried  about  the  Streets  of  London  on 
the  5th  of  November.  It  was  a  walk  of  about  2  Miles  to  the  Prince's 
Habitation,  and  here  we  found  him  like  the  others  sitting  before  his 
hut  in  the  midst  of  his  Family, — among  whom  were  his  mother, 
'  Yevalinga,'  his  first  wife,  '  Raheeda,'  two  other  wives  and  Several 
Sons  and  Daughters.  They  brought  us  mats  on  which  we  sat  for  a  few 
minutes  and  Drank  some  milk.  The  Prince  had  now  got  rid  of  his 
coat  and  waistcoat  and  was  sitting  enjoying  himself  in  no  other  Cloathing 
than  his  nankeen  Breeches,  a  guise  much  more  Comfortable  to  him  than 
the  trappings  of  the  Hans  Town  Volunteers.  We  returned  to  our 
friends  in  the  Boat,  and  after  an  agreeable  Sail  of  an  Hour  got  safe  on 
board  the  Henry  Dimdas.  .  .  . 

"  Fri.  7.  After  our  usual  Market  on  the  Quarter  Deck,  Capt" 
Carruthers  expressed  a  wish  that  I  would  go  on  shore  to  make  purchases 
of  Calves,  fowls  &c.  I  set  off  in  the  Canoe  of  Robert  Spens  and  Tom 
Place  and  paddled  up  the  river  to  their  village,  where  I  found  our 
Pinnace  with  a  party  of  the  Passengers.  I  purchased  a  Bullock  and 
Cow  and  Calf  for  knives,  for  a  Musket  and  2  Dollars  and  a  few  tools. 
A  party  of  us  walked  down  by  the  side  of  the  River  to  help  to  drive 
our  Cattle  to  the  Long  Boat,  but  were  stopped  about  half  way  by  a 
Creek  which  we  Could  not  get  across,  we  therefore  hailed  the  Cutter 
and  she  came  to  us  ;  the  natives  drove  the  Cattle  across  the  Creek  and 
conducted  them  to  the  Long  Boat,  which  was  taking  in  water  about  a 
mile  lower  down.  I  went  on  board  of  her  and  the  Cutter  proceeded 
to  the  Ship.  The  securing  the  Cattle  and  stowing  them  in  the  Boat 
(on  this  occasion  a  service  of  great  difficulty  and  some  danger)  was  not 
compleated  until  7  in  the  Evening,  when  we  pushed  off,  but  had  not 
proceeded  far  when  the  Boat  ran  aground.  All  the  Crew  turned  out 
and  endeavoured  to  shove  her  on,  but  their  efforts  were  in  vain,  and 
Mr.  Bethune  thought  it  best  to  remain  quiet  until  the  Tide  should  flow 
and  float  her  ;  we  therefore  wrapped  ourselves  up  as  warmly  as  we 
could  and  went  to  sleep. 

"  Later,  8.  At  5  A.M.  the  Boat  was  afloat  and  we  arrived  on  board 
the  Ship  just  as  the  morning  Gun  had  fired.  I  went  to  bed  for  two 
Hours,  and  then  employed  all  the  rest  of  the  day  in  writing  Letters 
to  England,  for  the  Aurora. 

"  Sun.  9.  August.  Having  got  a  small  q'''  of  small  shot,  I  went  on 
shore  with  Mr.  Gilbert  near  the  Tent  Rock,  where  I  had  not  yet  been. 
In  a  thicket  near  this  place,  Mrs.  Carleton's  Tent  was  pitched,  where 
she  and  Mr.  Campbell  and  Col.  Carleton  and  Miss  Carruthers  had  resided 
for  several  days. 


GEORGE   ARBUTHNOT,    FIRST   OF   ELDERSLIE    463 

After  going  thro'  a  wood  of  very  Considerable  extent,  we  Came  to 
an  open  place  with  a  pool  of  water,  where  we  found  the  Partridges 
resorted  to  drink.  We  found  here  Mr.  Campbell,  who  had  already 
shot  a  number  of  Birds.  From  this  place  I  went  w*"  a  native  whom  I 
met  with,  to  his  habitation  in  the  wood,  where  he  told  me  he  had 
some  sheep  ;  after  a  Course  of  3  or  4  miles  which,  being  on  an  empty 
stomach,  was  more  fatiguing  than  agreeable,  we  arrived  at  the  residence 
of  our  Conductor,  called  '  Prince  Livi.'  He  had  neither  Hut,  Tent, 
nor  any  kind  of  Covered  place,  but  merely  a  sort  of  Bower  among  the 
Trees,  where  we  found  his  wife  w""  3  or  4  sons  and  2  daughters,  together 
with  his  herd  and  flock,  consisting  of  3  Cows,  5  Calves,  4  Sheep  and  3 
Lambs,  besides  a  great  number  of  Goats.  I  purchased  immediately 
the  Sheep  and  Lambs,  together  with  a  milch  Goat  and  2  Kids,  in  all 
10  Beasts  for  a  Musket,  and  I  engaged  all  his  Fowls  at  the  price  of  3 
for  a  shilling  knife.  Mr.  Gilbert  and  I  broke  our  fast  with  a  draught 
of  Milk,  and  Came  back  to  the  Tent  Rock,  where  we  embarked  our 
Cargo,  and  got  on  board  the  Henry  Dundas  at  2  o'clock  ;  we  found 
Blue  Peter  flying  at  the  Fore,  which  being  the  Signal  for  all  Persons  to 
repair  on  board,  I  left  the  Ship  no  more,  but  employed  the  afternoon 
in  writing  more  letters  for  the  Aurora. 

"  Mon.  10  August.  At  4  A.M.  made  the  Signal  and  got  under  way, 
with  a  light  breeze  at  East.  Our  stock  provided  at  Madagascar, 
exclusive  of  what  was  consumed  there,  consists  of  7  Bullocks,  11  Calves, 
8  Goats  and  Kids,  7  Sheep  and  Lambs,  270  Fowls  and  8  Guinea  Hens. 

"  At  9  A.M.  we  made  the  Preston  Signal  to  make  more  Sail,  which 
she  neither  answ*^  nor  obeyed. 

"  At  4  P.M.  hoisted  a  Signal  for  the  Preston  to  observe  our  Motions 
during  the  night  ;  this  being  treated  with  the  same  neglect  as  the 
Signal  of  the  morning,  we  enforced  it  with  a  Gun,  but  even  that  pro- 
duced no  effect.  In  my  opinion,  Capt"  Carruthers  would  be  justified 
in  writing  to  Capt°  Murray  that  if  a  similar  inattention  occurs  again, 
he  will  use  his  authority  as  Commodore  and  supersede  him.  .  .  . 

"  Wed.  12.  Very  hght  airs  and  hot  weather,  my  Brother  has  had 
a  relapse  of  his  Complaint,  but  not  so  violent  as  to  prevent  him  from 
walking  to  the  neighbouring  cabins. — There  is  still  a  great  deal  of 
Sickness  in  the  Ship,  and  to  many  the  halt  at  Madagascar  appears  to 
have  done  harm  rather  than  good.  Mrs.  Carleton  and  Mr.  Campbell 
are  both  ill,  as  is  likewise  Miss  Maria  Boileau — and  several  of  the  Crew 
are  laid  up. — This  is  a  merry  day  in  Scotland  for  men,  but  a  Sad  one 
for  Grouse.  .  .  . 

"  Wed.  26.  Delightful  weather,  and  saiUng  at  the  rate  of  y\  miles 
an  Hour.  .  .  .  Yesterday  at  dinner  a  long  discussion  took  place 
between  Mrs.  Garstin  and  Capt"  Carruthers  relative  to  the  disposal  of 
Miss  Pattle  at  Columbo.  It  seems  the  friends  of  the  young  lady  in- 
formed Capt°  C.  that  Mrs.  G.  would  take  a  charge  of  her,  and  in  Conse- 
quence of  that,  Capt"  C.  agreed  to  take  her  in  his  Ship.     Mrs.  G  has 


464  MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

hitherto  Completely  fulfilled  the  agreement,  for  she  has  taken  the  sole 
and  exclusive  superintendance  and  direction  of  Miss  Pattle's  conduct 
ever  since  we  left  England,  and  a  troublesome  job  I  believe  she  has 
had.  Some  Httle  time  ago,  she  told  Capt"  C.  that  at  Columbo  she  should 
not  take  Miss  P.  on  shore  with  her,  and  that  therefore  she  should 
remain  under  Capt°  C.'s  protection,  together  with  the  Miss  Boileaus 
and  Miss  Carruthers.  Of  this  measure,  neither  the  Capt°  nor  the  young 
ladies  approved,  and  it  was  this  which  gave  rise  to  the  discussion  in 
the  Cuddy.  Capt"  C.  argued  that  as  Mrs.  G.  had  taken  the  Manage- 
ment of  the  young  Lady  hitherto,  she  surely  knew  her  best,  and  that 
after  going  through  the  whole  voyage  with  this  Charge  on  her  Hands, 
was  it  handsome  or  fair  to  throw  it  off  just  at  the  Conclusion,  and  at 
a  time  when  the  influence  and  ascendancy  which  she  had  acquired 
over  her  might  be  exerted  with  the  greatest  advantage  to  Miss  P. 
and  to  the  great  ease  and  accommodation  of  Capt"  Carruthers  ?  In 
consequence  of  some  things  that  dropped  from  Mrs.  G.,  Miss  Boileau 
felt  herself  called  upon  to  say  a  few  words,  which  she  did  with  much 
judgement  and  Spirit.  These  words,  as  nearly  as  I  can  recollect, 
were  that  if  Miss  Pattle  did  reside  in  the  same  house  with  her  and  her 
sister,  she  thought  it  right  to  say  that  as  neither  of  them  had  any 
influence  with  her,  she  could  not  take  any  responsibility'  upon  herself 
with  regard  to  her  Conduct  and  therefore  declared  that  neither  she 
nor  her  sister  should  consider  Miss  P.  as  one  of  their  party.  Mrs. 
G.  seemed  much  exasperated  at  this,  and  suddenly  left  the  Table. 

"  Thurs.  27  August.  .  .  .  Capt°  Murray  has  written  a  Letter  to 
Capt"  C,  from  which  it  would  appear  that  he  does  not  mean  to  touch 
at  Ceylon.  All  the  trunks  brought  upon  deck.  More  events  to-day. 
It  seems  that  Capt"  C.  rec"^  information  from  Mr.  Gray  that  Col.  Garstin, 
in  speaking  to  him  about  Miss  Pattle's  story,  had  used  Capt"  C.'s  name 
in  an  improper  manner,  and  had  even  threatened  him  w'  the  displeasure 
of  Miss  P.'s  father  ;  and  had  also  said  that  he  (Col.  G.)  would  use  his 
influence  to  prevent  Capt"  C.  from  getting  good  passengers  from  Bengal. 
In  Conseq"  of  this,  Capt"  C.  wrote  to  Colonel  G.  desiring  an  apology. 
The  Col.  ans"^  the  letter  this  day  and  enf*  into  a  long  explanation  of 
the  slight  connection  between  him  and  Miss  P.,  but  took  little  notice 
of  the  main  object  in  Capt"  C.'s  Letter  (the  expressions  to  Mr.  Gray). 
Capt"  C.  wrote  again  this  Ev"  in  more  direct  terms,  and  I  believe  stated 
the  express  terms  used  by  the  Col.  .  .  . 

"  Wed.  2.  ...  The  difference  between  Capt"  Carruthers  and  Col. 
Garstin  is  at  last  made  up,  the  Col.  having  made  an  apology  to  the 
Capt"  for  speaking  disrespectfully  of  him  to  Mr.  Gray,  and  the  affair 
has  ended  in  a  mutual  Coldness  between  the  latter  Gentleman  and 
Col.  G.  My  Brother,  after  getting  somewhat  better,  and  going  on  deck 
every  day  for  the  last  week,  fell  back  to-day  and  did  not  leave  his  bed. 

"  Thur.  3.  ...  My  Brother  is  a  httle  better  than  yesterday, 
and  went  on  Deck  ;    he  is,  however,  very  weak.  .  .  . 


GEORGE   ARBUTHNOT,    FIRST   OF   ELDERSLIE    465 

"  Sun.  6.  Cloudy  weather  and  prodigious  heavy  Showers.  At 
II  A.M.  a  Boat  was  sent  on  board  the  Preston,  with  Letters  for  Bengal, 
and  Capt"  Carruthers'  order  for  her  to  proceed  on  her  voyage  as  soon 
as  we  should  make  the  Isl''  of  Ceylon.  The  Boat  returned  with  a  letter 
from  Capt°  Murray  to  Capt°  Carruthers,  saying  that  he  should  not  part 
Comp''  with  us,  but  meant  to  go  into  Columbo.  Cap"  C.  was  very  much 
incensed  at  this,  and  said  he  should  certainly  do  what  he  could  to 
prevent  Cap"  M.  going  in  to  that  Island  and  spoiling  his  market. 

"  Mon.  7.  Sept At  12  N.  Capt°  C.  made  the  Signal  for  the 

Capt°  of  the  Preston  to  come  on  board,  but  Capt°  M.  did  not  think 
proper  to  Comply,  and  sent  his  first  mate  with  a  Letter  to  Capt°  C, 
written  in  very  disrespectful  and  improper  terms.  Mr.  Younghusband 
gave  as  a  reason  for  stopping  at  Columbo,  that  the  Preston  was  short 
of  bread,  and  that  the  Crew  had  got  the  scurvy,  whereupon  Capt"  C. 
offered  bread,  spruce,  Beer,  or  anything  else  of  which  they  might  stand 
in  need,  and  made  the  like  offer  in  a  strong  Letter  addressed  to  Capt° 
Murray. 

"  Tues.  8.  Some  extraordinary  measures  took  place  during  the 
night.  In  the  Ev^  we  made  the  Signal  to  steer  E.S.E.,  which  the  Preston 
did  not  seem  very  willing  to  comply  with,  and  bore  away  E.  and  N.E.  .  . . 
In  consequence  of  which,  we  hauled  after  her  and  at  11  P.M.  spoke 
her,  desiring  she  might  steer  our  Course  and  make  more  Sail,  we  then 
stood  on  our  right  Course,  viz'  E.S.E.,  but  the  Preston  was  as  inattentive 
as  before,  or  rather,  as  determinedly  disobedient.  At  11  P.M.,  seeing 
this,  Capt°  Carruthers  ordered  a  9  lb  shot  to  be  fired  ahead  of  her,  but 
it  had  no  effect,  and  at  3  this  morning  Mr.  Bethune  was  ordered  to  fire 
one  of  the  same  shot  into  her  rigging,  which  he  did  in  the  most  effectual 
manner,  and  went  through  her  Mail  Top  Sail.  Capt"  Murray  then 
appeared  on  his  Deck  and  alledged  that  his  M.  Top  Mast  was  struck. 
Capt"  C.  reproved  him  in  strong  terms  for  being  so  refractory,  and 
desired  him  in  the  most  peremptory  manner  to  obey  orders  and  to  steer 
the  same  course  with  his  Commodore. — Capt"  Murray's  answer  was  that 
Capt°  C.  might  do  as  he  liked,  but  that  he  was  determined  to  go  into 
Colombo  in  spite  of  him,  and  here  the  Conversation  ended.  At  9  A.M. 
made  the  signal  for  Capt°  M.  to  come  on  board,  which  he  did  along  with 
his  second  officer,  and  conversation  then  took  place  between  the  two 
Captains,  at  which  the  said  officer  and  Mr.  Campbell  assisted.  I  did 
not  hear  all  the  particulars,  but  the  result  was  that  Capt"  Murray  gave 
up  his  intention  of  going  into  Columbo,  and  that  he  should  receive 
from  us  such  a  supply  of  Bread,  Rice  &c.,  as  would  serve  him  to  Bengal. 
Capt"  Murray's  conduct  in  the  whole  of  this  Affair,  appears  to  have 
been  neither  handsome  nor  honourable,  and  the  facihty  with  which  he 
was  driven  from  his  purpose  is  an  evident  proof  that  even  in  his  own 
opinion  he  stood  upon  weak  and  defenceless  ground. 

"  Wed.  9.  The  Discussion  with  Capt"  Murray  did  not  end  (as  I 
expected  it  would)  with  the  Conversation  above  mentioned.     When 

30 


466  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

the  boat  w*"  carried  the  Rice  &c.  returned,  it  brought  a  Letter  from 
Capt°  Murray  more  strange  and  incoherent  than  the  others  ;  the  sub- 
stance of  it,  as  far  as  I  could  collect,  was  that  he  required  Capt"  Car- 
ruthers  to  see  him  into  P.  de  Galle,  otherwise  he  w''  accompany  him  to 
Columbo. — Cap"  C.  replied  that  he  w''  accompany  the  Preston  as  far 
as  he  should  judge  expedient,  and  that  he  would  then  make  the  Sig' 
for  separ=,  that  Cap"  M  must  consider  the  order  sent  him  by  Capt" 
C.  as  absolute,  and  that  there  must  be  no  more  time  lost  in  Communica- 
tion between  the  Ships. — Capt"  M.  no  sooner  rec"^  this  Letter  than  he 
intimated  his  intention  of  coming  again  on  board,  which  he  did  while 
we  were  at  Dinner.  A  long  Conversation  took  place  in  the  Captain's 
Cabin,  w""  ended  in  Capt"  C.  declaring  that  if  Capt"  M.  sh"^  continue 
obstinate  and  refractory,  he  w'^  report  his  Conduct  to  the  Gov"^  of  Ceylon. 
Capt"  Murray  appeared  at  this  interview  (according  to  the  Sea  Phrase) 
to  have  got  his  Grog  on  Board,  and  seeming  to  be  somwhat  Pot  valiant, 
he  appeared  to  wish  to  make  the  business  Pers',  which  Capt"  C.  very 
properly  treated  with  contempt. — This  mor^,  having  run  a  good  way 
to  the  Sou""  of  Columbo,  we  made  the  Signal  for  Sep"  at  g  o'clock. 
The  Preston,  after  hailing  us  and  enquiring  our  Latitude,  hoisted  her 
Colours,  gave  3  cheers,  and  stood  on  her  Course,  which  was  E.S.E., 
and  we  hauled  off  to  N.E.  by  E.,  being  direct  for  Columbo. — In  spite 
of  every  exertion,  we  could  not  make  the  Island  this  night,  and  at 
8  o'clock  we  slackened  Sail  and  soon  after  lay  to. 

"  Thurs.  10.  At  3  A.M.,  I  set  off  in  the  Cutter  with  Mr.  Campbell 
and  Mr.  Ashford,  and  took  with  me  the  Dispatches  for  Mr.  North.' 
After  a  Sail  of  above  4  hours,  we  arrived  and  landed  at  Columbo. 
Several  Gentlemen  were  standing  on  the  Beach,  one  of  whom  (who 
I  afterwards  found  to  be  Mr.  Eraser,  the  Accountant-General)  took 
me  to  his  House,  and  then  carried  me  in  his  Gig  to  the  Governor's 
Country  House,  about  2  miles  from  the  town.  His  Excellency  rec*^ 
me  with  much  kindness,  and  I  remainded  T^te-a-Tete  with  him  for 
above  4  Hours.  My  Brother  then  arrived,  and  he  was  soon  followed 
by  Mr.  Tolfrey  and  his  Son.  My  Sensations  at  my  arrival  in  Ceylon 
are  strong  and  various, — they  are  Chiefly  of  an  agreeable  nature, 
but  they  are  not  altogether  unaccompanied  with  pain. — In  short, 
taking  leave  of  the  Henry  Dundas  is  once  more  bidding  farewell  to 
England. 

"  The  Island,  as  far  as  I  can  judge,  is  beautiful,  and  its  English 
Inhabitants  seem  to  be  mighty  good  sort  of  people." 

This  odd  volume  of  Diary  ends  here.  With  the  exception  of  the 
opening  sentences,  and  some  corrections,  it  is  not  in  Mr.  George  Arbuth- 
not's  hand.  It  is  possible,  therefore,  that  it  is  merely  a  copy  made 
from  the  original  by  his  direction.     It  seems  probable  that  it  may  have 

'  The  Hon.  Frederick  North,  Governor  of  Ceylon,  afterwards  fifth  Earl  of 
Guilford. 


GEORGE   ARBUTHNOT,    FIRST    OF   ELDERSLIE    467 

been  copied  in  order  to  send  home  to  his  parents,  for  on  the  last  page 
the  following  words  are  written  in  his  own  hand  : 

"  Mr.  Lautour  will  be  so  good  as  forward  this  under  cover  to  Robert 
Arbuthnot    Esq',    Edinburgh.     G.A.,    Madras,    January   31st,    1803." 

Mr.  George  Arbuthnot  did  not  remain  long  in  Ceylon,  where  his 
brother,  as  has  been  said,  became  Chief  Secretary  to  the  Governor. 
George  Arbuthnot  soon  removed  to  Madras,  where  the  above-mentioned 
Mr.  Francis  Lautour  took  him  into  his  business,  as  has  been  elsewhere 
related.  He  remained  in  business  till  the  year  1823,  when  he  retired 
and  returned  to  Europe,  having  made  a  large  fortune  by  his  successful 
enterprise.  It  has  already  been  explained  that  many  volumes  of 
George  Arbuthnot's  diary  are  missing,  and  we  have  no  details  of  his 
life,  apart  from  a  few  letters,  down  to  the  year  1824,  when  the  series 
of  Diaries  at  Warthill  commence.  Some  extracts  from  these  have 
already  been  quoted  in  the  text,  but  it  is  thought  that  some  further 
passages  will  be  of  interest  to  many  members  of  the  family. 

On  January  7th,  1830,  after  mentioning  that  he  is  confined  to  the 
house  with  a  cold,  Mr.  Arbuthnot  writes  : 

"  My  amusement  was  reading  Sir  Walter  Scott's  Tales  of  a  Grand- 
father on  Scottish  History,'  a  work  which,  though  written  for  the 
instruction  of  a  reader  of  seven  years  old,  will  afford  information  and 
delightful  entertainment  to  one  of  eight  times  that  age." 

The  winter  of  1830  was  severe,  and  on  February  6th  Mr.  Arbuthnot 
writes  :  "  The  frost  continues,  and  the  river  Thames  is  entirely  frozen 
over.  .  .  ." 

"  Monday  (Feb).  15th.  Paid  a  visit  to  the  Right  Hon'"^  Charles 
Arbuthnot  at  his  new  house  in  the  Site  of  Carlton  Gardens,  being  my 
first  introduction  to  him.  ..." 

"  Friday,  April  gth.  Good  Friday.  This  day  at  9  a.m.  died  my 
good  old  friend,  General  Sir  Hew  Dalrymple,*  at  his  house,  two  doors 
from  mine,  having  nearly  completed  his  80th  year.     I  first  made  his 

'  The  first  series  of  Scott's  Tales  of  a  Grandfather,  was  published  in  1828, 
the  second  in   1829,  and  the  third  and  fourth  in   1830. 

>  General  Sir  Hew  Whitefoord  Dalrymple,  only  son  of  Captain  John  Dalrymple 
(a  grandson  of  the  first  Viscount  Stair)  was  born  in  1 750.  After  his  father's  death 
in  1753  his  mother  married  Sir  John  Adolphus  Oughton,  K.B.  Sir  Hew  entered 
the  Army,  and  served  with  great  distinction  under  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley  during 
the  Peninsular  War.  He  was  much  blamed,  however,  for  consenting  to  the  Con- 
vention of  Cintra,  by  which  terms  were  granted  to  the  French  under  Junot.  Fol- 
lowing immediately  after  Wellesley 's  victory  of  Vimeiro,  it  was  thought  that  that 
success  should  have  been  vigorously  followed  up.  Dalrymple's  act,  however, 
has  generally  been  justified  in  recent  times,  and  it  is  allowed  that  he  gained  the 
whole  object  of  the  campaign  by  the  peaceful  arrangement  made  by  him.  This 
was  in  i8o8.  Dalrymple  was  recalled,  and  his  career  irretrievably  injured  by  this 
afiair. 


468  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

acquaintance  at  Lady  Oughton's,  his  mother,  about  eight  and  thirty 
years  ago,  and  he  was  then  one  of  the  most  elegant  men  I  have  seen, 
— all  through  life  he  was  one  of  the  most  agreeable  and  most  worthy.  .  .  . 

"  Elderslie,  7th  (June).  Mr.  Cook  ^  and  I  went  to  Dorking  in  the 
Carriage,  to  assist  at  the  Petty  Sessions,  and  were  joined  by  Mr.  Bosca- 
wen2  and  Mr.  Lee  Steere.  Case  of  Assault  at  Coldharbour.  Dismissed, 
but  made  the  defendant  pay  the  costs,  10/6.  Dined  at  Ockley  Court, 
with  Walter  Calvert,  and  met  there  Mr.  Cook  and  Mr.  Malthus.  The 
Bulletin  about  the  King  very  unfavourable. 3 

"  Elderslie,  Tuesday,  July  13,  1830.  ...  At  8  a.m.,  set  off  in 
J.F.'s  4  Caleche  with  him  and  Mr.  Cook  for  Guildford,  to  attend  the 
General  Quarter  Sessions  for  the  County,  where  there  was  a  very 
numerous  Meeting  of  the  Magistracy  ;  the  Oaths  of  Allegiance  were 
administered  by  the  Clerk  of  the  Peace,  Mr.  Lawson.  A  County  Rate 
of  2d.  p''  £,  so  as  to  raise  £14,000,  was  agreed  to,  on  the  application  of 
Mr.  Smallpiece,  the  Treasurer.  ...  On  the  motion  of  Mr.  Holme 
Sumner,  a  Requisition  to  the  High  Sheriff  was  drawn  up  and  signed, 
to  call  a  General  Meeting  of  Freeholders  and  other  Inhabitants,  for 
the  purpose  of  preparing  a  Dutiful  and  Loyal  Address  to  His  Majesty 
King  William  IV,  of  condolence  on  the  demise  of  His  late  Majesty,  and 
also  to  Her  Most  Gracious  Majesty,  Queen  Adelaide,  on  their  Accession 
to  the  Throne  of  these  Realms.  Dined  with  the  Magistrates  at  the 
White  Hart,  about  60  at  Table.  .  .  . 

"  London,  Friday,  July  23rd,  1830.  .  .  .  This  day  the  Parliament 
was  prorogued  by  His  Majesty  King  William  IV  in  person.  Sent  the 
twins  and  Coutts  to  see  the  Procession  along  Pall  Mall.  .  .  . 

"  London,  Tuesday,  July  27.  Mr.  Exshaw^came  to  breakfast. 
Conversation  with  him  on  French  Affairs.  No  information  as  yet 
what  the  King  will  do  in  consequence  of  the  late  Elections  being  aU 
in  favour  of  the  Liberal  party,  i.e.,  the  party  opposed  to  his  present 
ministry.5    I  asked  Exshaw,  supposing  the  King  to  be  willing  to  give  up 

»  The  Rev.  John  Cook,  Rector  of  Ockley. 

>  The  Hon.  and  Rev.  John  Evelyn  Boscawen,  Rector  of  Wotton. 

J  George  IV  was  sinking  under  liis  last  illness  at  this  time.  The  Times  of 
Monday,  7th  June,  1830,  pubhshed  two  bulletins.  That  of  Saturday,  5th  June, 
ran  as  follows  :  "  The  iMng  has  been  embarrassed  considerably  in  his  respiration 
during  the  night,  and  His  Majesty  has  had  but  little  rest."  The  bulletin  for  Sunday, 
6th  June,  ran  thus  :  "  The  King  has  been  less  embarrassed  in  his  breathing,  and 
His  Majesty  slept  at  intervals  last  night."  In  another  part  of  the  paper,  the  first 
bulletin  is  repeated,  with  the  following  comments  :  "  It  will  be  perceived  from 
the  foregoing  bulletin  that  His  Majesty's  symptoms  continue  imabated.  The 
operation  of  puncturing  his  leg  has  been  again  resorted  to,  but  with  little  relief." 
George  IV  died  at  Windsor  on  the  25th  June,  1830.  Never  has  any  Sovereign  of 
England  been  so  little  regretted — least  of  all,  it  has  been  said,  by  those  who  knew 
him  best. 

4  His  brother-in-law,  John  Eraser. 

5  The  ministry  of  the  Due  de  PoUgaac  had  reached  a  climax  of  unpopularity 
in  France  at  this  time. 


GEORGE   ARBUTHNOT,    FIRST   OF   ELDERSLIE    469 

his  present  IMinistry,  who  could  he  name  as  their  Successors,  that  would 
be  acceptable  to  the  People  ?    He  acknowledged  that  he  could  not  tell. 

"  Wednesday,  28th  (July).  ...  An  Express  from  France,  with 
news  of  the  Dissolution  of  the  New  Chamber  before  its  Meeting,  and  an 
Ordonnance  du  Roi,  or  Proclamation,  in  which,  after  animadverting 
on  the  Choice  of  Deputies  so  adverse  to  his  Gover'  and  to  the  evils 
alleged  to  arise  from  the  uncontrolled  Liberty  of  the  Press,  used  as  an 
Engine  of  Faction  and  Disloyalty, — he  ordains  a  change  in  the  System 
of  Elections,  taking  away  the  elective  franchise  from  Towns  ^ and 
giving  it  to  Departments ! '  This  strong  Measure,  or  Coup  d'Etat, 
as  it  is  called,  is  most  obnoxious  to  the  French  People,  who  are  not 
likely  to  submit  to  it  unless  overpowered  by  the  Military.  The  Fr. 
3  p.  C"  have  suddenly  fallen  7  per  Cent,  and  our  own  Consols  about 
2  per  Cent.  .  .   . 

"  London,  Thursday,  July  29th.  The  hot  weather  continues.  .  .  . 
News  from  Paris  by  the  way  of  Brighton  of  great  agitations  and 
Symptoms  of  risings  among  the  People  last  Tuesday,  and  of  2  of  the 
Gendarmerie  being  killed, — this,  however,  is  given  by  the  Editor  as 
only  a  report  and  its  truth  not  absolutely  to  be  relied  on. 

"  Friday,  July  30th.  .  .  .  News  from  Paris  that  the  People  are 
making  successful  resistance. 

"  Saturday,  July  31st.  .  .  .  All  wears  the  appearance  of  a  resistance 
to  the  present  Gover',  and  to  me  it  appears  that  the  King  and  his 
Ministers — Polignac,  Peyronnel,  Monbelle  &c., — have  been  under  the 
influence  of  insanity,  and  have  brought  upon  themselves  whatever 
mischief  may  ensue.  .  .  . 

"  Elderslie,  Tuesday,  August  3rd.  .  .  .  The  Papers  received  here 
this  Morning  bring  the  news  from  Paris  down  to  Saturday  evening  the 
31st,  at  which  time  the  Liberaux,  or  party  opposed  to  the  King's  Gover', 
appear  to  have  got  the  complete  ascendant,  after  a  severe  contest  of 

'  The  celebrated  Five  Ordinances  were  signed  by  Charles  X  on  July  25th, 
1830,  and  within  a  month  had  cost  him  his  Crown.  Tlaese  Ordinances  struck  at 
the  foundations  of  the  newly  formed  Constitution  of  France,  put  an  end  to  the 
liberty  of  the  Press,  established  a  strict  censorship  of  books,  and  forthwith  dis- 
solved the  newly  elected  Chamber  of  Deputies,  to  which  a  Liberal  majority  had 
been  returned.  The  methods  of  election  were  also  changed,  in  direct  violation 
of  the  Charter  of  1814.  In  ordering  these  reactionary  changes,  Charles  had  com- 
pletely mistaken  the  temper  of  his  subjects.  A  violent  crisis  was  immediately 
precipitated.  Paris  flew  to  arms.  Barricades  appeared  in  the  streets.  Three 
days'  fierce  fighting  ensued,  in  the  course  of  which  700  soldiers  and  over  5,000 
civilians  were  killed,  and  the  King  signed  his  abdication  at  Rambouillet  on  the 
2nd  August,  renouncing  the  Crown  in  favour  of  his  grandson,  the  young  Due  de 
Bordeaux,  better  known  as  the  Comte  de  Chambord.  This  provision  was,  how- 
ever, ignored,  the  throne  was  declared  vacant,  and  a  constitutional  monarchy 
under  Louis  Philippe,  Due  d'Orleans,  was  proclaimed.  Charles  X  became  for 
the  second  and  last  time  a  fugitive  from  his  native  country  and  a  dependent  on 
the  hospitality  of  foreign  courts.  He  lived  for  about  a  year  at  Holyrood,  placed 
at  his  disposal  by  William  IV,  and  died  at  Goritz  in  Bohemia  in  1836. 


470  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

several  days,  in  which  about  8,000  men  fell.  The  Duke  of  Orleans 
has  been  invited  to  exercise  the  functions  of  Lieut.  Gen'  of  the  Nation. 
General  Lafayette  '  was  Comm'  in  Chief  of  the  National  Guards  who 
had  fought  the  battle  with  the  King's  Troops.  .  .  . 

"  Thursday  5th  (August).  .  .  .  The  news  from  France  becomes 
more  and  more  interesting.  It  seems  there  has  been  some  mistake  as 
to  the  terms  of  the  King's  abdication,  which  was  thought  to  be  uncondi- 
tional, but  it  now  appears  that  he  wishes  to  abdicate  in  favour  of  his 
Grandson,  Le  Due  de  Bordeau.x,  and  to  get  him  declared  King  by  the 
title  of  Henry  V  ;  which  condition  the  provisional  Government  may, 
perhaps,  refuse  to  agree  to,  and  there  may  follow  dissensions  and  a 
Civil  War. 

"  Saturday,  7th  (August).  .  .  .  The  news  from  France,  which  comes 
down  to  Wednesday  the  4th,  gives  us  the  prospect  of  troubles  in  that 
Country.  Mr.  Heath  seemed  strongly  impressed  with  that  feeling. 
He  said  that  it  was  intended  to  abolish  all  Religious  Establishment. 

"  Elderslie,  Friday  17th  (September).  .  .  .  News  of  the  opening 
of  the  Railway  and  the  sad  accident  to  Mr.  Huskisson.* 

"  Saturday,  September  iSth.  The  Evening  Mail  of  yesterday 
brings  us  all  the  particulars  of  the  sad  accident  to  Mr.  Huskisson  by 
the  Rocket  Steam  Engine  passing  over  his  leg,  and  the  P.S.  mentions  the 
death  of  that  Eminent  Man.  ..." 

Having  referred  to  the  speech  of  the  Due  de  Broglie  in  the  Chamber 
of  Peers  on  the  13th  September,  and  M.  Guizot's  similar  address  to 
the  Chamber  of  Deputies,  relating  to  the  changes  in  France  since  the 
Revolution  of  the  preceding  July, 3  Mr.  Arbuthnot,  after  saying  that 

'  This  was  the  celebrated  Marquis  de  la  Fayette,  who,  as  a  young  man,  had 
played  a  leading  part  in  the  first  French  Revolution.  He  was  now  an  old  man 
of  seventy-three,  and  died  in  Paris  four  years  later. 

=  Mr.  William  Huskisson,  who  had  been  a  member  of  several  Governments, 
at  this  time  represented  Liverpool  in  the  House  of  Commons.  On  the  15th  of 
September  he  attended  the  opening  of  the  Manchester  and  Liverpool  Railway. 
Among  the  company  assembled  for  the  occasion  were  Mrs.  Charles  Arbuthnot, 
Sir  Robert  Peel,  and  the  Duke  of  Wellington.  With  the  latter,  Mr.  Huskisson 's 
relations  had  recently  been  very  strained.  He  was  standing  with  a  group  of 
persons  who  had  incautiously  placed  themselves  between  the  lines,  when  some 
engines  were  seen  approaching.  The  party  hurriedly  re-entered  a  train  on  some 
parallel  lines,  but  Mr.  Huskisson,  who  was  slightly  lame,  lost  his  balance  when 
attempting  to  cUmb  into  the  carriage,  and  fell  back  on  the  line.  He  was  fatally 
injured,  and  died  the  same  night. 

3  The  Due  de  Broglie,  addressing  the  Chamber  of  Peers,  said  he  was  charged 
by  the  King  (Louis-Ptiilippe)  to  lay  before  that  House  the  actual  state  of  the 
nation  and  to  review  the  acts  of  the  Government  since  the  "  glorious  Revolution, 
which  founded  his  Throne  at  the  same  time  that  it  saved  our  country."  He  went 
on  to  say  that  the  Revolution  was  the  result  of  "  an  heroic  effort,  suddenly  exerted 
to  secure,  against  despotism,  superstition  and  privilege,  the  national  liberties  and 
interests.  .  .  .  France  promises  herself  that  so  noble  a  triumph  shall  not  prove 
fruitless  ;  she  considers  herself  freed  from  the  system  of  deception,  uncertainty, 
and  impotence,  which  had  so  long  wearied  and  irritated  her,"  etc. 


GEORGE   ARBUTHNOT,    FIRST   OF   ELDERSLIE    471 

these  reports  appear  to  him  to  be  "  a  temperate  and  sensible  statement 
of  the  affairs  of  the  Nation,"  continues  thus  :  "  The  Funds  of  France 
are,  however,  very  low,  viz'  5  per  C*  98  and  the  3  per  C'^  69,  which 
indicates  a  want  of  confidence  somewhere.  I  think  the  most  probable 
cause  of  the  depression  is  to  be  found  in  the  number  of  Churchmen, 
Foreigners  and  others  who  have  been  panic-struck,  and  are  making 
rapid  Sales  of  their  possessions  in  the  Stocks  ;  when  the  operation  of 
that  panic  subsides,  the  Funds  will  rise,  and  the  Cover',  which  has 
been  recognized  by  all  the  great  Powers,  will  flourish. 

"  Elderslie,  Wednesday,  6th  October.  The  same  beautiful  autumnal 
weather.  Several  of  my  family  are  enjoying  the  fine  mornings  by 
leaving  our  beds  at  6  o'clock,  or  soon  after  .  .  .  Spent  an  hour  at 
Ockley  Court  with  Calvert.  .  .  .  Wrote  to  the  Hon'''"  and  Rev''  John 
Evelyn  Boscawen,  in  answer  to  his  letter  of  the  27th  ult°  about  the 
Meeting  to  be  held  at  Epsom  to-morrow,  for  the  Propagation  of  the 
Gospel  in  Foreign   Parts. 

"  Elderslie,  Sunday,  (14th  November) News  of  the  burning 

of  a  Mill  at  Albury  last  night,  the  property  or  farm  of  Mr.  Franks. ' 

"  Monday,  15th  (November).  Rode  with  Jane  to  the  Tower  on 
L.H.^  Visit  from  Mr.  Cook  to  consult  about  the  state  of  the  Neigh- 
bourhood, with  reference  to  the  Fires  in  Farm  Yards,  Mills  &c.,  that  are 
about. — The  burning  of  Mr.  Franks'  Mill  at  Albury  has  made  a  con- 
siderable sensation  in  this  neighbourhood. 

"  Tuesday,  i6th  (November).  .  .  .  There  are  now  daily  reports 
of  Fires  in  the  neighbourhood,  chiefly  in  the  premises  of  Farmers,  and 
letters  threatening  fire  are  received  by  the  Gentry.  Mr.  Broadwood, 
Mr.  Crawford,  Mr.  Hudson,  Mr.  Ridley,  have  had  intimations  of  that 
description,  and  there  have  been  several  burnings  of  Ricks,  Barns  and 
Stables  around  us,  tho'  none  in  our  own  Parish  till  Yesterday,  when  a 
Hay-Rick  belonging  to  Thomas  Wonham,  Farmer  at  Trouts,  on  the 
estate  of  Mr.  Heath,  was  discovered  to  be  on  fire,  and  this  afternoon 
Wonham  came  to  me,  accompanied  by  Hudson  the  Constable,  and  laid 
an  information  on  oath  against  James  Bravery,  a  labourer  of  his  own, 
who  had  acknowledged  to  him,  his  master,  that  he  set  fire  to  the  Rick 

■  The  French  Revolution  of  1830  had  consequences  which  extended  beyond 
the  national  frontiers.  In  Brussels  an  insurrection  broke  out,  which  led  to  the 
separation  of  Belgium  from  Holland.  In  England,  the  French  example  made  a 
profound  impression  on  the  masses,  who  were  then  suffering  terrible  privations 
and  hardships,  and  stirred  them  up  to  disorders  of  every  kind.  Incendiarism  and 
machine-breaking  became  the  order  of  the  day.  As  will  be  seen,  Surrey  by  no 
means  escaped  the  prevailing  infection.  The  final  result  of  these  agitations,  which 
were  general  all  over  the  country,  was  the  passing  of  the  Reform  Bill  in  1832. 
From  that  time  onwards,  it  may  be  said  with  tolerable  accuracy  that  the  people 
of  England  were  represented  in  fact,  instead  of  merely  in  fiction,  by  the  House  of 
Commons,  and  their  grievances,  instead  of  finding  vent  outside,  were  reflected 
and  in  time  remedied  there,  as  the  theory  of  our  democratic  institutions  requires 
that  they  should  be. 

'  Leith  Hill. 


472  MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

and  then  gave  the  alarm.  I  granted  a  warrant  for  the  apprehension 
of  Bravery,  and  wrote  to  Mr.  Cook,  begging  him  to  be  present  at  the 
examination  to-morrow  Morning.  This  afternoon  Mr.  Broadwood 
called,  and  shewed  me  a  letter  he  had  rec"^  from  his  son,  a  Clergyman  in 
Sussex,  dated  the  13th,  mentioning  that  there  had  been  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Pulborough  Assemblages  of  Country  People  to  the  number 
of  150,  going  about  and  forcing  others  to  join  them,  their  declared  object 
being  to  obtain  a  rise  in  wages.  The  Rev'^  Mr.  Austin  of  Pulborough 
had  been  in  some  sort  forced  to  preside  at  one  of  their  Meetings,  and  he 
had  recommended  to  his  Neighbours  employing  Labourers,  to  give 
wages  at  12/-  per  week.  Mr.  Broadwood  Sen'  had  prepared  a  Letter 
to  Sir  Robert  Peel,  the  Secretary  of  State,  requesting  that  a  Troop  of 
Horse  might  be  sent  from  Town,  and  stationed  half  at  Dorking  and 
half  at  Horsham.  Mr.  B.  asked  my  advice  if  he  should  despatch  that 
Letter,  and  I  advised  him  to  let  it  alone. — The  disposition  of  the  People 
hereabouts  appears  to  me  to  be  steady  and  good,  and  our  leading 
men  in  the  village,  such  as  Coldman,  Hudson,  Willard,  Barret,  are 
worthy. 

"  Elderslie,  Wednesday,  Nov.  17th,  1S30.  The  weather  changed 
from  bright  to  gloomy. — Letter  from  Mr.  Broadwood,  with  an  ace'  of  the 
proceedings  of  the  Labourers  in  the  Parishes  of  Warnham  and  Horsham, 
and  a  wish  that  they  should  be  made  known  to  the  Lord  Lieutenant 
or  the  Secretary  of  State,  with  the  view  of  getting  a  Military  Force 
down  into  this  Quarter  of  the  County.  ...  On  Tuesday,  the  Duke  of 
Wellington  in  the  H°  of  Peers  and  Sir  Rob'  Peel  in  the  Commons  said 
they  had  that  day  waited  on  His  Majesty  and  resigned  their  Office  in 
common  with  all  their  Colleagues  in  the  Administration.  The  King, 
it  was  said,  had  sent  for  Earl  Grey  and  requested  him  to  form  a  new 
Administration.! 

'  On  November  15th  a  seemingly  unimportant  adverse  vote  in  the  House  of 
Commons  caused  the  Duke  of  WelUngton  to  tender  his  resignation  to  the  I"Cing. 
The  occasion  was  by  no  means  one  on  which  the  ministry  were  bound  to  stand 
or  fall,  but  many  portents  showed  that  they  had  lost  the  confidence  of  the  House, 
besides  having  made  themselve  obnoxious  to  the  country  in  general  by  their 
opposition  to  Reform.  Welhngton  had,  on  the  2nd  November,  made  his  famous 
speech  on  the  subject,  declaring  that  not  only  was  the  system  of  representation 
then  in  force  so  perfect  as  to  be  incapable  of  improvement,  but  that  if  he  were 
called  upon  to  draft  a  model  system  for  any  country  whatsoever,  his  great  en- 
deavour would  be  to  create  a  legislature  as  similar  as  possible  to  the  one  under 
which  he  lived,  although  he  could  not  hope  to  produce  anything  so  faultless, 
because  the  nature  of  man  was  incapable  of  attaining  perfection  at  the  first  effort. 
This  uncompromising  declaration,  which  delighted  his  enemies,  was  regarded  by 
his  friends  as  most  impolitic,  and  it  in  fact  brought  upon  the  Government  a  storm 
of  pubUc  indignation  to  which  they  succumbed  a  fortnight  later.  Lord  Grey, 
with  the  Whigs,  came  into  office  pledged  to  Reform,  after  having  wandered  in 
the  wilderness  of  opposition  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century.  The  last  Whig 
ministry  had  been  that  of  "  All  the  Talents,"  under  whose  auspices  England  had 
forced  the  Dardanelles  in  1807,  as  related  in  another  part  of  this  volume. 


GEORGE   ARBUTHNOT,    FIRST   OF   ELDERSLIE    473 

"  Harley  Street,  Thursday,  i8th  (November).  Foggy  morning. 
Called  on  Mr.  Crawford  and  spoke  with  him  about  the  troubles  and 
alarms  in  Surrey,  particularly  the  Parishes  of  Warnham  and  Horsham, 
which  he  said  he  would  mention  at  a  meeting  at  the  H°  of  Lord 
Arden,  to  which  he  had  been  invited  for  this  day.  .  .  .  ^ 

"  Elderslie,  Friday,  November  19th.  Beautiful  weather.  \\Tiile 
at  breakfast,  a  party  of  rioters  came  from  Oakwood  Hill  thro'  the 
village,  being,  as  I  understood,  on  their  way  to  Wotton  Rectory.  Mr. 
Crawford  and  Mr.  Heath  and  his  son,  who  came  about  the  same  time, 
and  with  Sir  John  Buchan,  Captain  Wilson  and  Franks,  rode  after 
them  to  witness  their  proceedings,  while  Mr.  Cook  and  I,  assisted  by 
Mr.  Hart  and  accompanied  by  Mr.  Calvert  and  his  nephew  the  Colonel, 
having  taken  the  information  of  five  Householders  as  to  the  probabiUty 
of  more  Riots,  swore  in  about  15  Special  Constables  and  wrote  for  a 
Military  Force. — Night  watch  of  7  Special  Constables. 

"  Saturday,  20th  (November).  Fine  morning,  then  rain.  Meeting 
of  the  Magistrates  at  Epsom.  Troops  of  the  ist  Reg'  of  Life  Guards, 
commanded  by  Capt°  Hall,  Lieut.  Hanwood  and  Cornet  Biddulph, 
arrived  at  Dorking.  .  .  .  M'atch  set  in  the  village.  Patrol  of  6  men. 
A  detachment  of  a  Corporal  and  6  men  of  the  Life  Guards  came  from 
Dorking.     Many  of  the  labouring  people  in  an  agitated  state. 

"  Elderslie,  Sunday,  Nov.  21st.  Fair  day.  The  last  night  passed 
quietly  over.  Attended  D.S.  at  Ockley  Church,  where  Mr.  Cook 
preached  on  brotherly  love  and  forgiveness  of  injuries,  an  excellent 
discourse  and  well  suited  to  the  present  times. 

"  Monday,  22nd  November.  The  morning  hazy,  and  threatening 
Rain  ;  went  early  to  Dorking,  and  breakfasted  with  the  Crawfords, 
then  to  the  Bench  at  the  Red  Lion,  where  a  great  number  of  the  Town- 
people  were  sworn  in  as  Special  Constables,  to  the  number  of  150, 
among  whom  were  several  Gentlemen  of  distinction,  Mr.  Charles  and 
Mr.  David  Barclay,  Mr.  Richard  Fuller,  &c.  Assemblage  of  the  mob 
near  Lady  Rothes'  -  Deputation  of  four  went  to  speak  with  them. 
The  Rev'^  Mr.  Feacham,  Mr.  Charles  Barclay,  Mr.  Crawford  and  self. 
With  that  party  we  had  pretty  good  success  in  quieting  them.  Next 
we  had  conversation  with  a  party  of  Farmers  of  the  Parish  of  Newdi- 
gate,  and  then  a  long  discussion  with  a  party  of  Labourers  of  that 
Parish,  headed  by  a  little  man  named  James  Francis,  a  thorough 
Puritan.  At  4  o'clock  I  left  Dorking,  thinking  all  was  quiet.  But 
I  afterwards  learnt  that  the  contrary  was  the  case,  and  that  in  the 
absence    of    the  Life  Guards  who  had  gone  to  exercise  their  horses 

'  This  was  a  meeting  of  Surrey  magistrates,  held  at  the  house  of  Lord  Arden, 
then  Lord-Lieutenant. 

>  Shrub  Hill,  a  house  at  the  East  end  of  Dorking,  had  been  bought  by  George 
William,  thirteenth  Earl  of  Rothes,  in  1792.  It  was  occupied  in  1830  by  his 
widow,  the  Dowager  Countess  of  Rothes,  a  daughter  of  Colonel  John  Campbell 
of  Dunoon.     She  died  at  Shrub  Hill  in  1846  and  was  buried  at  Wotton. 


474  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

a  mob  attacked  the  Inn  and  attempted  to  force  the  room  in  which  the 
Magistrates  were  sitting.  A  scuffle  ensued,  in  which  the  Rev''  Mr. 
Ridley,  Mr.  Coombs  and  Mr.  Bothwell,  two  of  the  Special  Constables, 
were  hurt.  Several  of  the  Assailants  were  also  hurt,  and  5  of  them 
were  taken  up  handcuffed  and  sent  off  to  the  Jail  in  Horsemonger 
Lane." 

On  Thursday,  25th  November,  1830,  Mr.  Arbuthnot  gives  a  complete 
list  of  Lord  Grey's  new  Ministry,  Welhngton  and  Sir  Robert  Peel 
(of  whose  administration  the  Right  Hon.  Charles  Arbuthnot  was  a 
member)  having  resigned  office,  as  already  related.  At  the  end  of 
the  long  list  of  names,  among  which  we  find  those  of  Melbourne,  Palmer- 
ston  and  Lord  John  Russell,  and  which  evidently  did  not  meet  with 
Mr.  Arbuthnot's  approval,  he  writes  significantly  :  "  Let  us  see  how 
long  this  will  last  !  " 

"  Elderslie,  Friday,  26th  (November).  The  weather  fine.  .  .  . 
Mr.  Cook  and  I  swore  in  a  few  more  persons  of  the  Parishes  of  Ockley 
and  Abinger  as  Special  Constables,  but  the  late  ferment  in  this  part 
of  the  Country  seems  allayed,  tho'  the  Life  Guards  are  still  quartered 
at  Dorking. 

"  Monday,  29th  (November).  The  weather  hazy.  Rode  to  Dorking 
and  attended  the  Bench,  where  there  were  several  Persons  sworn  in 
to  the  office  of  Special  Constable.  Several  Measures  of  precaution, 
resistance  and  conciHation  were  taken  into  consideration,  with  reference 
to  the  state  of  the  Country.  One  of  the  arrangements  was  to  unite 
the  lower  parts  of  the  Parishes  of  Wotton  and  Abinger  to  Ockley, 
another  to  ring  the  Church  Bells  in  case  of  Fire  or  riotous  Assemblage. 
More  Special  Constables  to  be  sworn  in 

"  London,  Dec'' 3rd.  Rainy  morning  ....  Called  at  the  Panorama 
in  the  New  Road  opposite  Gower  Street,  to  see  a  view  of  Madras,  painted 
from  a  Drawing  by  Mr.  Earle.  The  Spectator  is  to  suppose  himself 
standing  on  the  top  of  the  Exchange,  within  the  Fort.  The  Scene  is 
well  represented,  and  I  recognized  every  object.  .  .  . 

"  (Eldershe)  Monday,  3rd  (January  1831).  .  .  .  Attended  the  Bench 
at  Dorking.  The  principal  business  this  day  was  to  hear  a  complaint 
from  a  party  of  Labourers  belonging  to  the  Parish  of  Capel,  on  the 
subject  of  their  wages.  Mr.  Crawford,  who  presided  at  the  Meeting, 
held  a  long  discourse  with  each  of  these  men,  and  endeavoured  to 
convince  them  by  many  reasons  that  they  ought  to  live  upon  their 
earnings,  which  in  every  one  of  the  cases  submitted  appeared  sufficient, 
none  being  under  12  shillings  a-week, — some  as  high  as  16. 

"Wednesday,  5th  (January).  ...  I  dined  en  gargon  at  Ockley 
Court,  and  met  Mr.  John  Calvert,  Mr.  Byson  and  Mr.  Broadwood. 
Some  conversation  on  the  present  extraordinary  state  of  the  times. 
The  Trials  of  Incendiaries  and  Rioters  nearly  over  ;  several  executions 
and  many  transportations.  One  man  (Bushby)  was  hanged  at  Horsham 
on  Saturday  last.     The  man  who  set  fire  to  Mr.  Franks'  Mill  at  Albury 


GEORGE   ARBUTHNOT,    FIRST   OF   ELDERSLIE    475 

is  condemned  to  death. • — Nine  of  the  persons  concerned  in  the  riot 
at  Dorking  on  the  22nd  Nov"^  have  been  tried  at  Kingston  ;  three  have 
been  acquitted,  the  other  six  convicted  and  sentenced  to  imprisonment 
for  periods  of  from  i8  months  to  6  months  (?  years).  ..." 

We  have  now  reached  the  period  when  the  debates  on  the  Reform 
Bill  began  to  occupy  the  attention  of  the  country  almost  to  the  exclusion 
of  every  other  subject.  The  Diaries  contain  constant  allusions  to  the 
excitement  prevaiUng  in  the  poUtical  world  over  the  measures  proposed 
by  Lord  Grey's  Government.  On  March  ist,  1831,  Lord  John  Russell 
introduced  into  the  House  of  Commons  the  Reform  Bill,  which  will 
always  be  identified  with  his  name.  The  anomahes  in  the  system  of 
representation  in  ParUament  at  that  time  are  too  well  known  to  need 
recalling  here.  It  will  be  remembered  that  towns  like  Manchester, 
Birmingham,  Leeds  and  Sheffield,  were  unrepresented  in  Parliament, 
while  many  of  the  "  Rotten  Pocket  Boroughs"  (Gatton  and  Old  Sarum 
being  flagrant  instances)  returned  members,  although  possessing  only 
one  or  two  inhabitants.  In  Lord  John  Russell's  speech,  which  won  the 
admiration  alike  of  friends  and  opponents,  the  most  arresting  passages 
were  those  in  which  he  first  declared  that  at  an  early  period  in  our 
history  the  House  of  Commons  had  indeed  represented  the  people  of 
England,  but  that  "  there  is  no  doubt  likewise  that  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, as  it  now  subsists,  does  not  represent  the  people  of  England  "  ; 
and  secondly,  he  imagined  an  intelligent  foreigner  visiting  these  shores 
in  order  to  study  Enghsh  institutions.  Such  a  stranger,  he  suggested, 
would  have  been  informed  that  this  country  "  is  unparalleled  in  wealth 
and  industry,  and  more  civilized  and  more  enlightened  than  any  country 
was  before  it  ;  that  it  is  a  country  that  prides  itself  on  its  freedom, 
and  that  once  in  every  seven  years  it  elects  representatives  from  its 
population  to  act  as  the  guardians  and  preservers  of  that  freedom." 
This  stranger,  he  went  on  to  say,  "  would  be  anxious  and  curious  to 
see  how  that  representation  is  formed,  and  how  the  people  choose 
those  representatives  to  whose  faith  and  guardianship  they  entrust 
their  free  and  liberal  institutions.  Such  a  person  would  be  very  much 
astonished  if  he  were  taken  to  a  ruined  mound,  and  told  that  that 
mound  sent  two  representatives  to  parliament — if  he  were  taken  to  a 
stone  wall  and  told  that  three  niches  in  it  sent  two  representatives  to 
parliament — if  he  were  taken  to  a  park,  where  no  houses  were  to  be 
seen,  and  told  that  that  park  sent  two  representatives  to  parliament; 
but  if  he  were  told  all  this,  and  were  astonished  at  hearing  it,  he  would 
be  still  more  astonished  if  he  were  to  see  large  and  opulent  towns,  full 
of  enterprise  and  industry  and  intelligence,  containing  vast  magazines 
of  every  species  of  manufactures,  and  were  then  told  that  these  towns 

•  A  short  account  of  the  trial  of  James  Warner,  labourer,  for  wilfully  and 
maHciously  setting  fire  to  the  mill  at  Albury  on  the  night  of  13th  November,  1830, 
is  to  be  found  in  the  Annual  Register,  1831. 


476  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

sent  no  representatives  to  parliament.  .  .  .  The  confidence  of  the 
country  in  the  construction  and  constitution  of  the  House  of  Commons 
is  gone.  It  would  be  easier  to  transfer  the  flourishing  manufactures 
of  Leeds  and  Manchester  to  Gatton  and  Old  Sarum,  than  to  re-estabUsh 
confidence  and  sympathy  between  this  house  and  those  whom  it  calls 
its  constituents.  If,  therefore,  the  question  is  one  of  right,  right  is 
in  favour  of  Reform  ;  if  it  be  a  question  of  reason,  reason  is  in  favour 
of  Reform  ;  if  it  be  a  question  of  policy  and  expediency,  policy  and 
expediency  are  in  favour  of  Reform.  ..." 

The  debate  on  the  Bill  dragged  on  night  after  night  till,  on  the 
gth  of  March,  the  Speaker  moved  that  "  Leave  be  given  to  bring  in  a 
Bill  to  amend  the  representation  of  the  people  in  England  and  Wales." 
Leave  was  granted,  and  the  Bill  was  read  a  first  time  on  the  14th. 
The  anxieties  and  misgivings  felt  by  many  old-fashioned  Tories  at  this 
time  are  clearly  reflected  in  Mr.  Arbuthnot's  Diary. 

On  Wednesday,  2nd  March,  being  in  London,  he  writes  : 

"  Wet  morning.  Employed  reading  the  Debate  about  Reform  of 
Parliament,  on  the  Bill  introduced  yesterday  by  Lord  John  Russell 
on  behalf  of  the  new  Ministry,  by  which  it  is  intended  to  disfranchise 
62  Boroughs,  to  grant  the  elective  franchise  to  (?  27)  Towns,  and  to 
make  many  other  alterations  in  the  representation  of  the  People. 
Freeholders  of  40/-  rent  to  remain  as  they  are.  Copyholders  of  £10 
and  Leasehold  Tenants  of  £50  for  19  Years  to  be  entitled  to  vote. 
The  qualification  in  Scotland  to  be  entirely  changed.  .  .  . 

"  Thursday,  3rd  (March).  .  .  .  The  Debate  on  the  Reform  Bill 
continued  by  adjournment  and  carried  on  with  great  animation.  .  .  . 

"  Tuesday,  8th  (March).  .  .  .  The  Debate  on  the  important  ques- 
tion of  Parliamentary  Reform  has  been  continued  day  by  day  since  last 
Tuesday,  and  is  not  yet  over.  On  the  issue  of  it  much  of  the  future 
welfare  of  Great  Britain  may  depend.  .  .  . 

"  Thursday,  loth  (March).  .  .  .  The  Debate  in  the  H°  of  Commons 
on  the  introduction  of  Lord  John  Russell's  Bill  is  at  last  over,  and  the 
Bill  had  leave  given  to  come  in,  with  only  three  Noes.  The  question 
has  been  debated  7  nights.  The  Funds  are  falling.  Those  of  France, 
the  3  p"'  Cent  Rentes  at  50  ;  our  own  Consols  at  74! .  .  .  .  Fine  weather 
for  the  Queen's  D\  R"°. 

Tuesday,  15th  March.  .  .  .  Lord  John  Russell's  Bill  for  Par''' 
Reform  was  brought  in  Yesterday  and  read  a  first  time  without 
opposition. 

"  Wednesday,  23rd  (March).  During  the  last  two  nights  the  Question 
for  the  2'^  reading  of  the  Reform  Bill  was  debated,  and  this  morning  at 
3  o'clock  the  House  decided  in  favour  of  the  Bill  by  a  majority  of 
ONE  in  a  House  of  608  Members.'.  .  .  Called  in  the  Strand  to  hear 

«  Mr.  Molesworth  says  :  "  The  announcement  of  these  numbers  was  received 
with  a  perfect  storm  of  cheers  from  both  sides  of  the  house.    Nominally  the  victory 


GEORGE   ARBUTHNOT,    FIRST   OF   ELDERSLIE    477 

the  opinion  entertained  there  of  the  decision  of  the  H.  of  C.  on  the 
Reform  Bill,  and  found  them  satisfied,  for  this  reason,  that,  while 
entertaining  the  Bill  so  far  will  satisfy  and  keep  quiet  the  populace, 
the  largeness  of  the  Minority  on  the  other  hand  makes  it  pretty  certain 
that  the  details  will,  in  Committee,  undergo  very  strict  examination, 
and  clauses  inimical  to  the  real  welfare  of  the  Country  will  be  altered 
and  amended.  .  .  .P.  V.  A.'  and  I  dined  with  Mr.  Mountstuart  Elphin- 
stone  ^  in  Charles  Street,  Berkeley  Square,  where  we  met  his  Brother, 
the  Honble  Adm'  Fleeming.  Sir  John  Malcolm  and  his  son  George, 
Mr.  Edmonstone,  Mr.  Strachey  of  the  India  House,  Mr.  John  Loch 
M.P.,  Major  Close,  Mr.  Mackintosh,  Mr.  Warden,  late  Secretary  at 
Bombay. — Sir  John  Malcolm,  who  is  recently  returned  from  India, 
was  in  high  spirits,  and  the  party  was  altogether  lively  and  agreeable. 
A  considerable  portion  of  the  conversation  was  on  the  subject  which 
at  present  so  much  engrosses  the  pubhc  attention,— the  Reform  of 
Parliament.  Different  sides  were  taken  bjr  Sir  John  and  the  Admiral, 
but  the  most  perfect  good  humour  was  maintained.  The  only  M.P 
present  was  Mr.  Loch,  a  supporter  of  the  Measure  in  Moderation,  and 
he  gave  an  account  of  all  the  particulars  that  occurred  in  the  House 
during  the  Debate  and  at  the  Division.  Mr.  L.  seems  to  me  to  be  a 
man  of  great  good  sense,  and  also  honest  and  worthy  in  a  high  degree." 

The  following  month,  public  affairs  took  a  dramatic  turn.  The 
Government,  in  piloting  the  Reform  Bill  through  the  Commons,  found 
themselves  embarrassed  by  a  factious  Opposition  at  every  turn.  On 
the  i8th  April,  an  apparently  trivial  motion  was  proposed  by 
General  Gascoyne,  and  carried  against  the  Government  the  following 
day  by  a  majority  of  eight.  On  this.  Lord  Grey  determined  to  advise 
the  King  to  dissolve  Parhament.  An  appeal  to  the  people,  even 
under  the  restricted  conditions  then  in  force,  was  above  all  things  what 
the  Opposition,  in  spite  of  their  victory,  dreaded  most.  The  violent 
excitement  throughout  the  country  made  it  only  too  possible  that, 
notwithstanding  the  predominant  influence  of  the  landed  interest,  mob- 
terrorism  would  enforce  its  demands  and  the  Whig  Government  return 
to  power  stronger  than  ever.   The  King  very  reluctantly  consented  to  a 

was  with  the  Government,  and  their  partisans  felt  that  they  must  make  the  most 
of  their  triumph.  But  the  opposition  felt,  and  justly  felt,  that  the  real  advantage 
was  on  their  side,  and  that  if  the  principle  of  the  bill  was  only  affirmed  by  the 
balance  of  one  single  vote,  they  would  be  able  to  do  what  they  pleased  with  it 
in  the  committee,  and  might  very  possibly  so  mutilate  it  as  to  compel  the  ministry 
to  abandon  it  altogether." — See  History  of  the  Reform  Bill  of  1832,  by  the  Rev. 
W.  N.  Molesworth,  p.   167. 

"  Patrick  Vans  Agnew. 

'  The  Hon.  Mountstuart  Elphinstone,  fourth  son  of  John,  eleventh  Lord 
Elphinstone,  was  a  distinguished  Indian  administrator,  and  had  been  for  many 
years  Governor  of  Bombay.  His  brother,  the  Admiral,  had  assumed  the  surname 
of  Fleeming  on  succeeding  to  some  estates  formerly  belonging  to  that  family. 


478  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

dissolution,  and  the  extraordinary  scenes  in  both  Houses  on  the  day 
of  the  prorogation  are  referred  to  by  Mr.  Arbuthnot  as  follows  : 

"  London,  Friday,  April  22nd,  1831.  At  2  p.m.,  the  King  went  in 
State  to  the  H"  of  Lords  and  prorogued  the  Parliament,  with  the  view 
to  its  immediate  dissolution.  Previous  to  H.M.'s  arrival,  both  Houses 
sat  for  about  an  hour,  and  there  was  hot  debating  in  each,  such  as  has 
not  been  before  witnessed  in  the  present  generation. — In  the  Upper 
House,  the  contest  was  chiefly  carried  on  by  the  Marquess  of  London- 
derry and  the  Earl  of  Mansfield  against  the  Measure  of  Dissolving, 
and  by  the  Duke  of  Richmond  and  the  Lord  Chancellor  in  favour  of  it. 
The  loud  and  angry  discussion  continued  till  the  very  moment  of  the 
King's  entrance,  with  his  Crown  upon  his  head,  and  taking  his  place 
upon  the  Throne  ;  — then  silence  was  obtained." 

Intense  excitement  had,  on  this  occasion,  entirely  done  away  with 
the  decorum  and  orderly  atmosphere  usually  maintained  in  the  Upper 
House.  The  Opposition  were  bent  on  carrying  a  motion  standing  in 
the  name  of  Lord  Wharncliffe,  before  the  King's  arrival.  This  motion 
prayed  the  King  to  be  graciously  pleased  "  not  to  exercise  his  undoubted 
prerogative  of  dissolving  ParUament."  The  Government  were  deter- 
mined at  all  hazards  to  prevent  this  motion  being  pressed.  Lord 
Brougham  states  that  this  was  because  they  were  well  aware  that  the 
King,  although  supposed  to  be  favourable  to  Reform,  would  gladly 
have  taken  advantage  of  it  to  refuse  his  consent  to  the  prorogation.' 

While  an  angry  discussion  proceeded,  the  booming  of  artillery  in 
St.  James'  Park  announced  the  King's  approach.  In  order  to  cause 
delay,  the  Duke  of  Richmond  called  for  the  enforcement  of  the  standing 
order  that  required  the  Peers  to  take  their  proper  places,  "  for,"  said 
he,  "  I  see  a  junior  Baron  sitting  on  the  Dukes'  Bench."  He  referred 
to  Lord  Lyndhurst,  who,  "  starting  up,  exclaimed  that  Richmond's 
conduct  was  most  disorderly,  and  shook  his  fist  at  him."'''  The  Duke 
of  Richmond  retorted  that  he  should  call  for  the  enforcement  of  the 
standing  orders  which  prohibited  the  use  of  intemperate  and  threaten- 
ing language.  Lord  Londonderry  next  broke  forth  into  a  violent 
tirade  (Lord  Brougham  says  "  he  did  not  speak,  but  screamed,") 
which  effectually  played  into  the  hands  of  the  Government  by  causing 
further  delay.  So  violent  were  the  speeches  and  gestures  at  this 
point,  that  some  of  the  Peeresses  present  rose  to  their  feet  in  great 
agitation,  under  the  impression  that  the  lords  were  about  to  come 
to  blows. 

Lord  Wharncliffe  at  last  managed  to  read  his  motion,  but  there  was 
no  time  to  pass  it.  Lord  Mansfield  next  spoke  with  considerable 
violence.     He  declared  that  the  King  and  Country  were  "  in  a  most 

»  Life  and  Times  of  Henry,  Lord  Brougham,  by  himself,  vol.  iii.  p.  114. 
»  Ibid.,  p.  117. 


GEORGE   ARBUTHNOT,    FIRST    OF    ELDERSLIE    479 

awful  predicament."  He  accused  ministers  of  "  conspiring  "  together 
against  the  safety  of  the  State,  and  of  "  making  the  Sovereign  the 
instrument  of  his  own  destruction."  ("  Hear,  hear,"  and  great 
confusion  at  this  point.)  Lord  Mansfield's  speech  was  interrupted  by 
loud  cries  of  "  The  King  !  The  King  !  "  but  he  still  continued  angrily 
speaking  up  to  the  very  moment  when  His  Majesty  appeared.  The 
King,  who  had  been  received  with  transports  of  delight  by  the  crowds 
outside,  and  greeted  with  shouts  of "  Turn  out  the  rogues,  your  Majesty  !  " 
mounted  the  Throne  "  with  a  firm  step,"  bowed  to  right  and  left, 
and  begged  their  Lordships  to  be  seated.  The  Commons  having  been 
summoned,  they  "  rushed  in  very  tumultuously,"  and  the  prorogation 
took  place  without  further  incident. 
Mr.  Arbuthnot  continues  : 

"  In  the  Commons,  the  Debate  was  no  less  animated.  Sir  Richard 
Vyvian,  Sir  Robert  Peel  on  the  one  side  ;  Lord  Althorp,  Sir  Francis 
Burdett  on  the  other  ;  and  it  was  asserted  that  when  the  Speaker  was 
endeavouring  to  keep  Order,  Mr.  Tennyson  went  the  length  of  inter- 
rupting him  and  denying  his  authority.'  In  short,  such  a  scene  has 
seldom  been  witnessed  in  Great  Britain,  tho'  frequently  in  France. 
The  discussion  was  at  last  interrupted  by  the  knocking  at  the  door  of 
the  Usher  of  the  Black  Rod.^ 

"  Upper  Wimpole  Street,  Wednesday,  April  27th,  1831.  The  weather 
continues  beautiful.  Grossmith  brought  me  news  this  morning  of 
the  house  of  Lord  Walsingham  in  Upper  Harley  Street,  just  opposite 
to  this  one,  being  burnt  down  during  the  night,  that  his  Lordship  is 
burnt  in  his  bed,  and  Lady  W.,  in  endeavouring  to  escape  by  the  whidow, 
was  killed.  The  event  made  a  considerable  sensation  all  over  the  town. 
.  .  .  There  were  some  illuminations  in  the  Town  on  account  of  the 
King  having  dissolved  Parliament  and  thereby  shown  himself  favour- 
able to  the  Cause  of  Reform, — tho'  many  of  the  wisest  and  best  of  the 
Nation  think  that  that  Measure  may  lead  to  very  serious  changes  in 
the  State.  .  .  . 

"  Elderslie,  26th  (June).  Very  rainy  day.  .  .  .  This  is  the 
anniversary  of  the  death  of  King  George  IV,  and  this  day  Prince 
Leopold  of  Saxe  Coburg  wrote  to  the  Belgian  Comm"^  accepting  the 
Crown  of  that  Country,  it  being  understood  that  the  Belgians  shall 
settle  their  Territory  and  Government  agreeably  to  the  Protocols  of 

'  Mr.  Tennyson  flatly  contradicted  the  Speaker,  who  had  ruled  that  Sir  R. 
Vy\'ian  was  in  order  in  denouncing  the  Reform  Bill.  Ministers'  conduct  of  affairs, 
and,  above  all,  their  intention  to  dissolve.  Mr.  Tennyson  asserted  that  "  the 
course  taken  by  the  honourable  baronet  is  disorderly,"  and  went  on  to  declare 
that  "  even  though  the  Speaker  should  gainsay  it,  I  will  maintain  that  the 
honourable  baronet  is  out  of  order."  Sir  Robert  Peel  also  spoke  on  tliis  occasion, 
and  is  said  never  to  have  been  in  a  greater  passion  in  his  life. 

=  This  was  to  summon  the  Commons  to  the  Upper  House,  to  hear  the 
prorogation  of  P£u:liament. 


480  MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

the  Ministers  of  the  Great  Powers  of  Europe. — With  this  letter,  the 
Deputies  set  off  for  Bruxelles." 

In  September,  1831,  Mr.  Arbuthnot  was  in  Paris,  and,  while  there, 
went  to  visit  Marshal  Macdonald.'  He  describes  his  interview  as 
follows  : 

"  Paris,  Sunday,  September  4th,  1831.  .  .  .  Called  on  Marshal 
Macdonald  and  had  with  him  a  very  agreeable  interview.  He  is  now 
living  temporarily  at  I'Hotel  de  la  Terrace,  in  the  Rue  de  Rivoli. 
He  alluded  to  the  present  situation  of  affairs  in  France,  and  particularly 
to  the  question  of  the  hereditary  Peerage  ;  -  in  answer  to  my  question 
as  to  when  he  would  pay  his  next  visit  to  England,  he  said  he  could 
not  go  to  England  without  going  to  Scotland,  and  that  it  would 
not  answer  for  him  to  go  to  Scotland  while  the  present  occupants  of 
Holyrood  were  there. 3  The  Marshal  asked  with  great  kindness  for 
Captain  and  Mrs.  Basil  Hall,  and  for  Alexander  Trotter.  He  then 
spoke  of  his  own  travels  through  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  of  which 
he  seems  to  have  forgotten  nothing,  and  when  I  expressed  my  surprise 
at  the  freshness  of  his  recollection,  he  said  he  attributed  it  in  some 
degree  to  his  habit  of  making  notes  of  whatever  and  whoever  he  saw. 
At  this  part  of  his  discourse,  he  turned  to  George,  and  advised  him  to 
follow  that  plan,  assuring  him  that  he  would  derive  from  it  both  advan- 
tage and  pleasure.  .  .  .  There  is  a  frankness  and  heartiness  in  the 
manner  and  conversation  of  this  Eminent  Person  which  puts  those 
with  whom  he  is  dealing  perfectly  at  ease.  While  we  were  with  the 
Marshal,  a  servant  came  twice  into  the  room  and  delivered  messages 
to  him,  the  one  an  enquiry  about  his  family,  the  other,  accompanied 
by  a  Letter,  stated  to  be  from  an  old  Soldier  who  had  served  under  his 
command  and  now  made  some  claim.  I  could  not  help  being 
struck  with  the  gentle  tone  of  voice,  as  well  as  the  extreme  distinctness, 
with  which  the  Marshal  gave  his  answers ; — the  same  impression  was 
made  upon  me  on  a  former  occasion  and  a  more  trying  one  ;  the  Servant 
came  into  his  room  in  the  Hotel  of  la  Grande  Chancellerie  of  the  Legion 
of  Honour,  and  told  him  that  his  Horses  had  been  startled,  had  run 

'  Etienne  Jacques  Joseph  Macdonald,  Duke  of  Tarentum  and  Marshal  of 
France,  belonged  to  a  family  that  had  anciently  migrated  from  Scotland.  He  was 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  of  Napoleon's  geiaerals,  and  had  been  created  a 
Marshal  on  the  field  of  Wagram  in  1S09  by  Napoleon  himself.  Though  devotedly 
attached  to  the  Emperor,  he  counselled  him  to  abdicate  at  Fontainebleau  in  1815, 
and  carried  the  Act  of  Abdication  to  the  Allied  Sovereigns.  He  declared  his  adhe- 
sion to  the  Bourbon  regime  immediately  afterwards,  having  been  requested  to 
do  so  by  Napoleon.  During  the  Hundred  Days  he  refused  to  break  his  oath  and 
return  to  his  former  allegiance.     He  died  in  1840. 

»  The  privileges  of  the  hereditary  peerage  m  France  were  abohshed  the  fol- 
lowing December. 

3  The  exiled  Royal  family  of  France,  who  were,  at  this  time,  in  residence 
at  Holyrood. 


GEORGE   ARBUTHNOT,    FIRST   OF   ELDERSLIE    481 

away  with  the  carriage  and  broke  it.  The  calmness  of  the  owner  of 
the  carriage  was  not  ruffled  in  the  sUghtest  degree,  and  all  he  said  was 
he  hoped  no  person  was  hurt,  and,  on  being  assured  of  that,  he  resumed 
his  discourse  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  ..." 

The  same  month  (September,  1831)  Mr.  Arbuthnot,  with  his  son 
George,  went  on  to  Brussels,  and  they  visited  the  field  of  M'aterloo, 
which  he  describes  at  some  length.  They  reached  London  on  the  28th 
of  that  month,  and,  once  more,  the  Reform  Bill  struggle  resumes 
its  prominent  place  in  the  Diaries.  The  General  Election  had  had 
the  anticipated  result,  and  the  Whigs  had  come  back  to  ofhce  greatly 
strengthened  for  the  coming  struggle.  On  the  21st  of  September, 
the  Reform  Bill  passed  the  House  of  Commons  by  a  majority  of  109. 
The  anxious  question  was  everywhere  asked  :  "  What  will  the  Lords 
do  ?  "  The  last  hope  of  the  anti-Reformers  lay  in  the  veto  of  the 
Upper  House.  All  doubt  was  ended  on  the  8th  of  October,  when  the 
Lords  threw  out  the  Bill  by  a  majority  of  41.  Writing  at  Elderslie, 
Mr.  Arbuthnot  says  :  "  This  will  make  a  great  sensation  throughout 
the  Kingdom,  and  it  is  to  be  feared  there  may  be  tumult." 

On  the  loth  October  Mr.  Arbuthnot  went  to  London  with  Mr. 
Walter  Calvert.     He  writes  : 

"  Looked  at  the  Meeting  of  the  Parish  of  Marylebone  in  the  Regents 
Park,  assembled  in  consequence  of  the  Reform  Bill  being  thrown  out 
in  the  House  of  Lords.  Shop  windows  closed,  some  entirely,  some  only 
a  Board  up.  Went  down  to  Westminster  at  5  o'clock,  when  the  Lords 
and  Commons  were  assembling.  Those  who  had  voted  against  the  Bill, 
and  particularly  the  Bishops,  hooted.  A  strong  party  of  the  new  Police' 
lined  the  principal  streets  of  Westminster  leading  to  the  Houses  of 
Parliament,  and,  owing  to  this,  no  violent  outrage  committed  there ; 
but  the  houses  of  the  Dukes  of  Wellington  and  Newcastle,  of  Lord 
Mansfield  and  other  eminent  Persons  adverse  to  the  Bill  were  assailed 
and  their  windows  broke.  .  .  .  "  * 

The  popular  anger  against  the  House  of  Lords  found  expression  on 
the  12th  October,  in  a  monster  procession  of  60,000  persons,  which 
marched  to  St.  James'  to  present  a  petition  to  the  King.  They  received 
a  favourable  answer,  the  King  promising  to  retain  his  present  ministers, 
to  use  all  constitutional  means  to  facilitate  the  passing  of  the  Bill,  and 
to  remove  from  their  posts  at  Court  all  persons  opposed  to  it.  This 
was  announced  to  the  waiting  crowds  by  Mr.  Joseph  Hume,  and  re- 
ceived with  an  outburst  of  cheering.  Mr.  Hume  then  begged  the  assem- 
blage to  disperse  quietly.     This  some  of  them  did,  but  others  would 

'  The  police  force  had  been  instituted  by  Sir  Robert  Peel  in  1829.  Hence 
the  terms  "  peeler  "  and  "  bobbie." 

'  This  was  the  second  time  in  the  year  183 1  that  Apsley  House  had  been 
assailed  by  a  furious  mob.  The  previous  attack  was  in  April,  when  the  Duchess 
of  Wellington's  body  lay  in  the  house  awaiting  burial. — See  p.  223. 

31 


482  MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTIINOTS 

not  be  satisfied  without  some  further  demonstration,  and  many  disorders 
followed.  Several  peers,  including  Lord  Londonderry,  were  attacked 
in  the  streets  and  rescued  with  difficulty.  In  the  country,  the  news  of 
the  Bill  having  been  rejected  caused  violent  scenes  and  many  outrages. 
There  were  riots  at  Derby  and  at  Nottingham,  while  a  seat  of  the  Duke 
of  Newcastle,  Nottingham  Castle,  was  burnt  to  the  ground.  Towards 
the  end  of  the  month  the  terrible  Bristol  riots  took  place,  in  which 
many  people  lost  their  lives. 

The  Reform  Bill  was  re-introduced  into  the  House  of  Commons 
in  December,  and  again,  after  weeks  of  debate,  the  third  reading  was 
carried  on  23rd  March,  1832.  Two  days  previously  (21st  March)  Mr. 
Arbuthnot  writes  : 

"  Debate  in  the  House  of  Commons  about  the  3rd  Reading  of  the 
Reform  Bill.  Extraordinary  speech  by  Mr.  Perceval.'  .  .  .  Some 
assembling  of  the  labouring  classes  in  the  Streets,  and  some  slight 
disturbances  in  Tottenham  Court  Road.  Met  a  posse  of  Policemen 
in  Bryanston  Square.  ..." 

On  May  7th,  the  Ministry  suffered  a  reverse  in  the  House  of  Lords 
which  is  thus  described  by  Mr.  Arbuthnot  : 

"  Tuesday,  8th  (May).  Last  night,  in  the  Committee  of  the  Lords, 
the  Ministry  was  left  in  the  Minority  by  35  on  an  amendment  by  Lord 
Lyndhurst  for  changing  the  order  of  considering  the  general  clauses 
of  the  Bill  in  the  Committee.  ...  On  this  point,  apparently  one  of 
little  importance.  Lord  Grey,  finding  himself  in  a  minority,  resolved 
to  stand  or  fall,  and  therefore,  after  holding  a  Cabinet  Council,  set  off 
for  Windsor,  accompanied  by  Lord  Brougham,  the  Chanc^  and  offered 
to  the  King  the  alternative  of  a  creation  of  Peers  sufficiently  large  to 

■  Mr.  Perceval's  speech  in  the  House  of  Commons  on  the  20th  March  was, 
indeed,  an  "  extraordinary "  performance.  Mr.  Molesworth  remarks  that  the 
like  of  it  had  not  been  heard  since  the  days  of  "  Praise  God  Barebones  "  ParUa- 
ment.  It  was  rather  in  the  st5'le  of  an  imprecatory  psalm,  and  the  following 
passages  may  be  taken  as  samples  of  the  whole  :  "  Think  ye  if  that  thing  be  true 
which  is  written — '  Except  the  Lord  build  the  house,  they  labour  in  vain  that 
build  it  ?  '  .  .  .  Think  ye,  if  that  scripture  be  true,  that  this  your  work  can  be 
blessed  ?  '  .  .  .  How  standeth  the  account  of  the  House  with  its  God  at  this 
time  ?  .  .  .  Ye  depart,  do  ye,  when  the  name  of  your  God  is  mentioned  ?  Ye 
would  have  sat  till  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  had  not  His  name  been  mentioned, 
listening  to  the  tongues  of  men  tinkling  like  idle  cymbals.  .  .  .  Will  ye  not  listen 
for  a  few  moments  to  one  who  speaketh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  ?  .  .  .  I  tell  ye 
that  this  land  will  soon  be  desolate  ;  a  little  time  and  ye  shall  howl  one  and  all 
in  your  streets.  ..."  Mr.  Perceval  continued  in  this  strain  undismayed  by  loud 
cries  of  "  question  "  and  "  adjourn,"  until  he  was  at  last  cut  short  by  the  excla- 
mation of  one  of  the  members  that  there  were  strangers  in  the  gallery.  The 
Speaker  immediately  ordered  the  strangers  to  withdraw,  and  while  the  order  was 
being  carried  out,  Mr.  Perceval  "  sat  down  suddenly,"  and  the  extraordinary 
scene  came  to  an  end. 


GEORGE   ARBUTHNOT,    FIRST   OF   ELDERSLIE    483 

secure  a  Majority,  or  to  accept  of  his  and  his  Colleagues'  Resignation 
of  office.     His  Majesty  chose  the  latter. 

"  London,  Monday.  May  14th.  The  Duke  of  Wellington  is  said  to 
have  kissed  hands  on  his  being  named  Prime  Minister.  Some  agitation 
observable  in  the  streets." 

The  resignation  of  the  Grey  cabinet  caused  a  fresh  sensation  through- 
out the  country.  Many  persons  leagued  themselves  together  to  refuse 
to  pay  taxes.  The  House  of  Commons  was  petitioned  to  refuse  supplies 
until  the  Reform  Bill  should  be  passed.  Another  plan  was  to  cause  an 
artificial  run  on  the  banks.  The  streets  of  London  were  covered  with 
placards  bearing  the  words  :  "  Go  for  gold,  and  stop  the  Duke." 
Preparations  were  begun  for  armed  resistance,  but  the  crisis  passed  when 
it  was  learnt  that  the  Duke  of  Wellington  had  failed  to  form  a  cabinet, 
and  that  the  King  had  yielded  and  recalled  Lord  Grey.  On  the  17th 
May,  William  IV,  now  very  much  out  of  humour  and  having  lost  all 
his  popularity,  received  Lord  Grey  and  Lord  Brougham,  and  reluctantly 
gave  his  consent  to  a  creation  of  peers.  The  King,  who,  contrary  to 
his  usual  custom,  kept  his  ministers  standing  throughout  the  interview, 
was  annoyed  by  Lord  Brougham's  request  that  his  consent  should  be 
given  in  writing.  He  gave  way,  however,  and  wrote  it  in  the  following 
words  :  "  The  King  grants  permission  to  Earl  Grey  and  to  his  Chan- 
cellor, Lord  Brougham,  to  create  such  a  number  of  peers  as  will  be 
sufficient  to  ensure  the  passing  of  the  Reform  Bill,  first  calling  peers' 
eldest  sons." 

On  Monday,  2Sth  May,  Mr.  Arbuthnot  writes  : 

"  The  Day  appointed  for  the  celebration  of  the  King's  B.D.,  which 
occurs  at  an  unlucky  moment,  when,  from  late  occurrences,  William  IV 
is  much  out  of  favour  with  the  Populace.  The  Royal  Family  was 
under  engagement  to  dine  with  the  Duke  of  W'ellington  this  day,  but 
under  existing  circumstances  it  has  been  deemed  expedient  to  change 
that  arrangement." 

The  House  of  Lords  bowed  to  the  inevitable,  and  the  expedient  of 
creating  peers  was  not  resorted  to.  The  Bill  passed  the  Lords  on  the 
4th  June,  and  on  the  7th  received  the  Royal  Assent  by  Commission. 
All  efforts  to  induce  the  King  to  go  in  person  to  Westminster  to  give 
his  Assent  were  in  vain.  He  was  too  deeply  offended  by  some  attacks 
that  had  recently  appeared  in  the  press,  and  his  sympathies  were  now 
entirely  alienated  from  the  Whigs.  Mr.  Arbuthnot  writes  as  follows 
on  the  9th  June  : 

"...  Some  of  the  English  papers  have  for  some  days  past  con- 
tained articles  very  abusive  of  the  King  for  not  going  in  person  to  give 
the  Royal  Assent  to  the  Reform  Bill,  which  was  done  by  Commission 


484  MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 

on  Thursday  last,  in  a  very  quiet  manner ;  which  seems  to  me  to 
be  very  wise  conduct,  for  surely  in  such  a  measure  of  awful  change,  the 
greater  quietness  that  can  be  preserved  the  better ; — but  this  is  probably 
only  the  calm  which  precedes  the  storm.  The  present  Parliament 
will  be  dissolved  at  the  end  of  the  Session,  then  will  come  the  business 
of  a  General  Election,  when  the  turbulent  and  riotous  passions  will 
e  let  loose,  and  when  there  may  be  a  want  of  power  in  the  well-disposed, 
and  in  the  Government  itself  to  stem  them. — We  shall  see." 

On  the  i8th  of  June,  the  anniversary  of  Waterloo,  the  Duke  of 
Wellington  was  returning  from  the  Mint,  attended  only  by  a  groom, 
when  he  was  surrounded  by  a  furious  mob,  whom  he  only  managed  to 
evade  with  the  greatest  difficulty.  The  greatest  indignation  was  every- 
where expressed  at  this  outrage,  and  Mr.  Arbuthnot,  after  referring  to  it, 
remarks  :  "  Thus  it  is  that  Liberty  falls  into  Licence,  and  thus  it 
will  be,  unless  the  Government  can  repress  with  a  strong  hand  the 
risings  of  the  lower  classes,  there  is  danger  to  the  country.  Seventeen 
years  ago,  how  different  was  the  feeling  of  the  Populace  to  this  first 
of  Soldiers  !  .  .  .  " 

The  following  day  (19th  June)  he  writes  : 

"...  Dined  at  Mr.  John  Melville's.  .  .  .  Some  of  the  conversation 
was  about  the  assault  committed  yesterday  on  the  D.  of  W.,  and  by 
most  Persons  was  mentioned  with  horror  and  indignation. — Some, 
however, took  a  different  tone,  and  expressed  regret  that  the  Duke  should, 
by  riding  in  the  Streets,  have  exposed  himself  to  the  view  of  the  People, 
thereby  exciting  them  to  riot  ! — which  would  really  be  establishing 
at  once  the  tyranny  of  a  mob  government. 

"  London,  Thursday,  September  27th.  .  .  .  News  of  the  death  of 
Sir  Walter  Scott,  at  his  seat  of  Abbotsford,  on  the  23rd  inst.,  having 
since  his  return  from  Italy  a  few  months  ago,  lingered  in  a  state  almost 
of  insensibility.  It  is  said  that  in  spite  of  all  his  great  and  successful 
literary  exertions,  large  debts  still  remain  unpaid,  and  a  Subscription 
for  the  family  and  to  save  the  Estate  to  the  Son  of  Sir  Walter  is  spoken 
of  and  discussed  in  the  newspapers.  ..." 

On  March  i6th,  1833,  Mr.  Arbuthnot  writes  : 

"...  This  was  the  nomination  day  for  Candidates  to  fill  the 
vacancy  in  the  representation  of  Marylebone  district,  occasioned  by 
the  retirement  of  Mr.  Portman,  which  took  place  in  Portland  Place. 
The  following  candidates  offered  :  Mr.  Tho^  Hope,  a  Tory  ;  Hon"* 
Chas.  Murray,  a  Whig  ;  Sir  Samuel  Whalley  K'  and  Mr.  Thos.  Murphy 
both  Radicals,  and  I  believe  Demagogues  and  Anarchists.  .  .  . 

"  London,  Saturday,  Jan^  4th  (1834).  ...  At  10  o'clock,  I  had 
to  attend  the  Sessions  House,  Clerkenwell,  to  endeavour  to  get  rid  of 
a  fine  of  £10,  imposed  upon  me  for  failing  to  attend  the  Grand  Jury 


GEORGE   ARBUTHNOT,    FIRST   OF   ELDERSLIE    485 

on  Monday  last.  The  Justices  are  now  extremely  strict  in  enforcing 
attendance  of  those  summoned,  and  I  cannot  say  but  they  are  very 
right ;  the  only  thing  to  complain  of  is  that  there  seems  to  be  much 
partiality  shewn  by  the  summoning  officers.  Many  persons  have, 
to  my  knowledge,  lived  in  the  Parish  for  years,  and  never  had  a  summons 
left  at  their  house,  while  others  are  called  upon  for  the  different 
Courts  several  times  in  the  same  year, — there  lies  the  error.  I  stated 
on  oath  to  the  Bench  (Mr.  Roach  presiding)  my  age,  but  the  answer 
to  that  was  "  Why  have  you  not  got  your  name  taken  off  the  Rolls 
or  Jury  Lists  ?  "  Because  I  was  living  in  the  Country  when  they  were 
exhibited  on  the  door  of  the  Church  ;  but  he  rejoined  that  that  would 
not  do.  I  then  tried  one  other  argument,  which  was  that  I  had  spoken 
the  day  before  the  Sessions  with  one  of  the  Magistrates,  who  had  pro- 
mised to  endeavour  to  get  me  excused. — Mr.  Roach  admitted  that  this 
had  some  weight  in  my  favour,  but  that  the  Magistrate,  whoever  he 
might  be,  had  acted  very  wrong  in  undertaking  any  such  Commission, 
and  he  finished  by  saying  the  Court  would  be  satisfied  if  I  paid  £l, 
— which  I  did,  and  was  acquitted." 

In  the  autumn  of  1834,  Wilham  IV,  as  is  well  known, unceremoniously, 
and,  as  some  think,  unconstitutionally,  dismissed  Lord  Melbourne  and 
his  other  ministers,  and  called  upon  the  Duke  of  Wellington  and  Sir 
Robert  Peel  to  form  a  Government,  although  their  party  could  command 
no  majority  in  the  House  of  Commons.  This  resulted  in  a  General  Elec- 
tion, and  we  find  Mr.  Arbuthnot  writing  as  follows  on  gth  January,  1835  : 

"  The  Metropolitan  Elections  are  running  strong  in  favour  of  the 
Democratic  Party,  among  all  the  grades  or  shades  of  which.  Old  Whig, 
New  Whig,  or  Radicals  and  Republicans,  appear  to  lose  sight,  for  the 
moment,  of  the  wide  differences  in  their  sentiments,  and  to  coalesce 
for  the  exclusive  purpose  of  turning  out  the  Tories.  That  is  their 
watchword,  and  the  great  mass  of  the  Populace  respond  to  the  cry 
'  Down  with  the  Tories  !  '—Nevertheless,  that  party  have  still  some 
strength.  In  the  Country,  it  has  certainly  some  preponderance,  so 
far  as  Wealth,  Station  and  Education  weigh  in  the  scale. — If  the  bias 
of  the  Multitude  should  carry  the  day,  and  the  Conservative '  Ministry 
come  to  a  premature  end,  it  is  difficult  to  imagine  what  course  the  King 
will  follow,  and  what  Statesman  of  respectabihty  and  talent  will  be 
found  to  take  the  helm  in  hand.  The  object  of  our  wishes  now  is  that 
the  present  Ministry  may  steer  such  a  course  of  wisdom  and  fairness 
as  may  absolutely  force  the  support  of  upright  and  constitutional 
men,  whether  they  be  Whigs  or  Tories.  ..." 

After  the  elections  were  over,  the  Tory  ministers  returned  to  power 
with  a  slender  and  precarious  majority  in  England  and  Scotland, 
leaving  them  at  the  mercy  of  the  Irish  vote. 

'  The  term  "  Conservative  "  was  first  applied  to  the  Tories  in  1831. 


486  MEMORIES    OF   THE   ARBUTHNOTS 

"  Tuesday,  24th  (February).  The  King  opened  the  Session  of 
ParUament  in  the  Painted  Chamber,  made  use  of  temporarily  for 
the  Lords.  George  got  a  ticket  from  the  Lord  Chamberlain's  Office, 
thro'  Vise'  A.,'  and  heard  the  Speech  from  the  Throne.  .  .  . 

"  Sunday,  March  ist.  ...  In  Mr.  Cook's  last  Letter  from  Ockley, 
dated  the  23rd  February,  he  mentions  an  accident  by  fire  at  the  Ho. 
of  Mr.  Kerritch  on  Leith  Hill,^  which  was  got  under  before  it  had  done 
any  considerable  damage,  by  the  Garden  Engine.  N.B.  to  procure  a 
machine  of  the  kind." 

On  the  17th  March,  Mr.  Arbuthnot  refers  to  the  speeches  in  the 
House  of  Lords  the  night  before,  when  Lord  Londonderry  announced 
his  resignation  of  the  office  of  Ambassador  to  St.  Petersburgh,  owing 
to  a  debate  in  the  House  of  Commons  a  few  nights  before,  when  many 
bitter  comments  were  made  on  the  appointment.  Lord  Londonderry 
spoke  with  restraint  and  dignity,  and  Mr.  Arbuthnot  also  refers  to  Lord 
Lansdowne's  "  good  and  gentlemanlike  "  speech,  after  which  he  adds  : 
"  Very  different  was  that  of  the  Opposition  Leader  in  the  Lower 
House,  Lord  John  Russell.  Whatever  he  says  is  full  of  asperity  and 
rancour.  He  is  almost  as  bad  in  those  respects  as  Joseph  Hume,  tho' 
not  quite  so  vulgar,  but  Sir  R.  P.  is  more  than  a  match  for  them  both, 
his  coolness  and  self-possession  are  marvellous.  .  .  . 

"  Friday,  loth  (April).  .  .  .  My  Daughter  Anne  .  .  .  brought  the 
news  of  the  retirement  from  Office  of  Sir  Rob'  Peel  and  his  Colleagues, 
they  not  being  able  to  command  a  Majority  in  the  House  of  Commons. 
That  Ministry  have  been  but  5  Months  in  Office,  and  its  Head  has  made 
a  figure  equal  to  the  brightest  that  ever  bore  sway.  ..." 

On  the  3rd  of  that  month  Lord  John  Russell  had  succeeded  in 
carrying  a  motion  against  the  Government  on  the  subject  of  Irish 
tithes,  and  William  IV  consequently  found  himself  in  the  mortifying 
position  of  having  to  receive  back  the  Melbourne  Ministry,  whom  he 
had  dismissed  with  such  a  high  hand  a  few  months  before. 

On  April  i8th  Mr.  Arbuthnot  writes  : 

"...  The  new  Ministry  of  the  Whigs  was  this  Evening  announced 
in  the  H.  of  C.,or  rather,  the  return  to  office  of  the  Melbourne  Adminis- 
tration, which  has  been  forced  back  upon  the  King,  very  greatly, 
it  is  believed,  against  his  inclination,  and  this  has  been  effected  by  a 
coalition  in  that  House  of  the  two  Parties,  for  the  avowed  purpose  of 
ousting  the  Tories,  or  Conservatives."  After  referring  to  Sir  Robert 
Peel's  resignation,  he  continues  :  "  There  have  been  Addresses  made 
to  that  Eminent  Man  from  Persons  professing  Conservative  Principles 

'  Viscount  Arbuthnott. 

»  This  was  Arnolds,  in  the  parish  of  Capel,  belonging  to  Mr.  Edward 
Kcrrich. 


GEORGE   ARBUTHNOT,   FIRST   OF   ELDERSLIE    487 

throughout  the  Kingdom,  addresses  certainly  disinterested  and  inde- 
pendent, as  they  are  made  to  the  beaten  Party  and  at  the  moment  of 
his  defeat.  That  the  Parties  signing  these  addresses  are  respectable, 
appears  by  each  Person  annexing  to  his  name  his  Profession  and  his 
place  of  Residence." 

The  Diaries  of  George  Arbuthnot  of  Elderslie  continue  down  to  the 
22nd  December,  1838,  and  many  other  extracts,  dealing  principally 
with  family  matters,  will  be  found  in  another  part  of  this  volume, 
where  an  account  of  his  life  is  given.  Want  of  space  had  made  it  neces- 
sary to  omit  many  passages  that  would  doubtless  have  interested  not 
only  the  diarist's  descendants,  but  any  reader  inclined  to  study  the 
period  in  which  Mr.  Arbuthnot  lived.  It  is  hoped  that  the  passages 
selected  will  give  a  tolerably  accurate  idea  of  a  conscientious  and  high- 
minded  country  gentleman's  outlook  in  those  stormy  days.  The  pro- 
blems of  his  time  may  appear  to  us  in  a  different  perspective  to-day, 
but  the  value  of  contemporary  impressions  will  be  recognized  by  all 
who  care  to  analyze  not  only  the  events,  but  the  currents  of  thought 
prevailing  in  any  given  period. 


SHEET   B. 


Alexander  Arbuthn 
of  Knox 

{died  1764) 


Robert  Arbuthnott 

of  Kirkbraehead 

{died  1773) 


I   ARBt'THNOTT 

drowned  1778, 
ttmarried) 


LiEUT.-CoL.  Robe 

3rd  son 
(died  1706) 


Admiral  Sir  Alex, 

)UNDAS  Young  Arbi 

(died  187 1) 


iSs!)  (J(rf  i, 


.L.„. 


INDEX 


INDEX 


Aberbothenoth,  lands  of,  see  Arbuth- 
nott,  lands  of 

Alwinus  de,  younger  son  of  Dun- 
can de  Aberbothenoth,  30 

Duncan  de,  son  of  Duncan  de 

Aberbothenoth,  33 

Duncan    de,    son    of   Hugo   de 

Aberbothenoth,  30 

Duncan  de,  son  of  Sir  Hugh  de 

Aberbothenoth,  33 

Hugh  de,  see  Arbuthnot,  Hugh, 

of  that  Ilk 

— Sir    Hugh    de,    known    as   "  le 

Blond,"  25  ;  his  two-handed  sword 
preserved  at  Arbuthnott,  26  ;  tomb 
in  Arbuthnott  Church  long  believed 
to  be  his,  26-7,  33  ;  some  doubt  as 
to  this,  27,  note  ;  heraldic  shields  on 
the  tomb,  27,  33  ;  old  ballad  relating 
to  Sir  Hugh  "  le  Blond,"  30-2  ;  Sir 
Walter  Scott's  remarks  on  it,  30,  31, 
and  note  ;  Sir  Hugh's  defence  of  the 
honour  of  the  Queen  of  Scotland, 
31-2  ;  overcomes  the  villain  Roding- 
ham,  32  ;  receives  the  lands  of 
Arbuthnott  as  his  reward,  ib.  ;  doubts 
as  to  historical  foundation  for  the 
old  ballad  and  the  facts  detailed  in 
it,  ib.  ;  legend  of  Sir  Hugh  having 
slain  a  dragon  in  the  Den  of  Pitcarles, 
ib.  ;  he  grants  land  to  the  monks  of 
Aberbroth,  ib.  ;    his  death,  33 

Hugo    de,    formerly    known    as 

Hugo  de  Swinton,  obtains  possession 
of  the  lands  of  Arbuthnott,   29,   30 

Hugh    de,    son    of    Duncan    de 

Aberbothenoth,  30 

Margaret    (or    Marjorie)    de, 

daughter  of  Philip  de  Aberbothenoth, 
wife  of  Sir  William  Monypenny,  35 

Philip  de,  son  of  Hugo  de  Aber- 
bothenoth, 34  ;  his  first  wife,  Janet 
Keith,  ib.  ;  his  second  wife,  Margaret 
Douglas,  34,  35 

Abercromby,  Dr.  Patrick,   165 

Abirkyrdo,  ,  wife  of  William  Ar- 
buthnot, 37 

Aikenhead,  Mr.  (or  Caldenhead), 
married  to  a  daughter  of  the  Rev. 
Alexander  Arbuthnot,  154. 


Airlie,  David,  sixth  Earl  of,  80 

John,  fourth  Earl  of,  77 

Aitchison,  Captain    Andrew   Nepean, 

311 
Caroline  Emma  Nepean,  wife  of 

Colonel  George  Arbuthnot  of  Norton 

Court,  311 
Albany,  the  Regent,  35,  note 
Alexander,  Major  William,  of  Spring 

Hill  and  Whitehill,  husband  of  Ethel 

Arbuthnot,  287. 

William,    of    Spring    Hill    and 

Whitehill,   husband   of  Margaret  Ar- 
buthnot, 286 

Allen,  Anna  Harriet,  wife  of  John, 
tenth  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  So 

Edmund,  80 

Allerdyce,  James,  husband  of  Anne 
Arbuthnot,  49 

John,   of  that   Ilk,   husband  of 

Catherine  Arbuthnot,  37 

William,  of  Aberdeen,  husband 

of  Jane  Arbuthnot,  284 

Alves,  Anne,  wife  of  Sir  William  Arbuth- 
not, first  Baronet,  309,  350,  and  note 

Dr.  John,  of  Shipland,  309 

Ambrose,  William  Henry,  husband  of 

Edith  Arbuthnot,  381 
Analecta    Scotica,  by   James    Maidment, 

quoted,  36 
Anderson,  Alexander,  89 

George    Gilbert,    husband    o£ 

Elizabeth  Arbuthnot,  284 

Gilbert,  89 

John,  137 

Margaret,  wife  of  Keith  Forbes, 

137 
Angus,  Archibald,  fifth  Earl  of,  85 

Archibald,  eighth  Earl  of,  103, 

105,  106 

Annand,  Alexander,  2S3,  289 

Anne,  Queen  of  England  :  Dr.  John 
Arbuthnot  appointed  her  physician, 
155  ;  he  acquires  a  considerable  in- 
fluence at  Court,  156;  Anne's  weak 
nature,  ib.  ;  her  estrangement  from 
the  Duchess  of  Marlborough,  ib.  ; 
palace  intrigue  conducted  by  Harley 
and  Abigail  Masham,  ib.  ;  their  suc- 
cess in  overturning  the  Marlborough 


492 


ME]\fORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 


Administration,  ib.  ;  the  Queen's  last 
violent  interview  with  the  Duchess  of 
Marlborough,  ib.  ;  triumph  of  Harley, 
ib.  ;  his  quarrel  with  Abigail  Masham, 
157  ;  scene  in  the  Queen's  presence, 
ib.  ;  death  of  the  Queen,  158  ;  her 
will  unsigned,  ib.  ;  Dr.  Arbuthnot 
and  the  Mashams  left  destitute,  ib.  ; 
the  Queen's  death  throws  the  Jacobites 
into  confusion,  162  ;  her  approval  of 
her  ministers'  negotiations  with  the 
exiled  court,  ib.  ;  her  Scottish  Guard, 
168,  and  note 

Anne  (of  Denmark),  Queen  of  Scot- 
land, wife  of  James  VI,  60,  142,  245 

Anstruther,  Sir  John,  second  Baronet, 
of  that  Ilk,  383 

Mary   Helen,   wife   of   Wiliam 

Reierson   Arbuthnot,  383 

Philip,    Colonial    Secretary    of 

Ceylon,  383 

Mrs.   Philip   (nee   Stewart-Mac- 
kenzie), 224,  note,  383,  itote 
Arbuthnot,  see  Aberbothenoth. 

see  Arbuthnott  • 

Gaelic  origin  of  the  name,  25 

Arms,  on  ancient  tomb  in  Ar- 
buthnott Church,  27  ;  on  tablet  in 
St.  Fergus  Churchyard,  125,  note, 
149  ;  correct  arms  for  the  Arbuthnots 
of  Buchan,  Preface,  p.  8  ;  birth- 
brief  granted  to  Robert  Arbuthnot  of 
Rouen,  ib.,  162,  note ;  his  altered 
arms  after  settUng  in  France,  162,  note 

Arbuthnot  Papers  in  Advocates'  Library, 
Edinburgh,  quoted,  36,  note,  37,  note, 
39,  note,  52-3,  60,  63,  68 

Arbuthnots  of  Aberdeenshire,  first 
branch,  85-138  ;  second  branch,  141- 
241  ;    third  branch,  245-275 

of  Auchterforfar  and   Caterline, 

56-57 

of  Fiddes,  first  line,  41-9  ;  second 

line,  65-6 

of  Findowrie,  54-5 

Arbuthnot  and  Co.,  bankers,  of  Madras, 

357.  359,  3S2,  note 

Arbuthnot,   ,   daughter  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  Scotsmill,  wife  of  Patrick 
Forbes,  150 

Adam,  fifth  son  of  James  Arbuth- 
not of  Invernettie,  285 

Adam,    third    son    of    Captain 

Thomas  Arbuthnot,  272 

Adolphine   Mary,   daughter   of 

William  Arbuthnot  of  Ham  Manor, 
Berks,  wife  of  Charles  Edward  Brown- 
rigg,  310 

Adolphus  Planta,  fourth  son  of 

George  Arbuthnot  of  the  Treasury,  241 

Agnes,   daughter   of   Alexander 

Aibuthnot,  printer  In  Edinburgh,  S9 


Arbuthnot,  Agnes,  daughter  of  John 
Arbuthnot,  second  Laird  of  Cairngall, 
wife  of  Duncan  Forbes,  minister  of 
Pitshgo,   132,   137 

Agnes,  daughter  of  Robert  Ar- 
buthnot of  that  Ilk,  wife  of  Alexander 
Straiton,  54 

Alexander,    of     Auchterforfar, 

third  son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of 
that  Ilk,  see  Alexander  Arbuthnot  in 
Pitcarles 

Alexander,  of  Blackstoun,  son  of 

Wilham  Arbuthnot  of  Blackstoun,  55 

Alexander,    fourth    Laird    of 

Cairngall,   75,  90,   134-7,   24S 

Alexander,    of  Findowrie,    son 

of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Findowrie, 
54  ;    his  wife,  Margaret  Lindsay,  ib. 

Alexander,  son  of  the  preceding, 

54  ;  his  wife,  Margaret  Ochterlony,  ib. 

Alexander,   in   ir-itcarles,   third 

son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk, 
53,  56,  60  ;  his  wife,  Margaret  Mid- 
dleton,  56 

Alexander,  in  Pitcarles,  second 

son  of  David  Arbuthnot  of  Auchter- 
forfar, 57  ;  his  wife,  Margaret  Hali- 
burton,  ib. 

Alexander,    in    Rora,    son    of 

James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche,  115, 
144,  145,  245-6 ;  his  wife,  Janet 
Stuart,  246 

Alexander,    second    in    Rora, 

son  of  the  preceding,  246  ;  his  wife, 
Elspet  Innes,  ib. 

Principal  Alexander,  of  King's 

College,  Aberdeen,  third  son  of  Andrew 
Arbuthnot  in  Pitcarles,  33,  note,  34, 
35,  41,  42,  43-48  ;  his  Latin  History 
of  the  Arbuthnot  family,  33,  note, 
43  ;   his  poems,  46,  47 

Rev.    Alexander,    minister   of 

Arbuthnott,  eldest  son  of  Robert 
Arbuthnot  of  Scotsmill,  43,  50,  53, 
56,  57,  62,  63,  64,  note,  150,  153-4  ; 
his  Continuation  of  Principal  Alex- 
ander Arbuthnot's  History  of  the 
Arbuthnot  family,  153  ;  copy  of  his 
MS.  in  the  Advocates'  Library,  ib.  ; 
is  deposed  from  his  living,  ib.  ;  buys 
the  estate  of  Kinghornie,  ib.  ;  his 
first  wife,  Margaret  Lammie,  154  ; 
his  second  wife,  Catherine  Ochterlony, 
ib.,  167,  168,  and  note 

Alexander,  printer  in  Edinburgh, 

see  Alexander  Arbuthnot,  fourth  son 
of  John  Arbuthnot  of  Legasland 

Alexander,  litster  in  Peterhead, 

third  son  of  Nathaniel  Arbuthnot  in 
Rora,  251  ;  his  first  wife,  a  daughter 
of  Ogilvy  of  Boyne,  ib. ;  his  second 
wife,  Mary  Scott,  ib. 


INDEX 


493 


Arbuthnot,  Alexander,  D.D..  Bishop  of 
ICillaloe,  fourth  son  of  John  Arbuth- 
not of  Rockfieet,  175,  178,  226,  234-5  : 

his   first   wife,   Bingham,    235  ; 

his  second  wife,  Margaret  Phoebe 
Bingham,  ib. 

Alexander,  third  son  of  the  Rev. 

Alexander  Arbuthnot,   154 

Alexander  (second  of  the  name), 

fourth  son  of  the  Rev.  Alexander 
Arbuthnot,   154 

Alexander,  eldest  son  of  Alex- 
ander Arbuthnot  in  Pitcarles,  57 

Alexander,  merchant  in  London, 

second  son  of  Alexander  Arbuthnot, 
htster  in  Peterhead,  251 

Alexander,  fourth  son  of  Alex- 
ander Arbuthnot,  second  in  Rora,  247 

Alexander,  second  son  of  Andrew 

Arbuthnot  of  Hatton,  247 
Alexander,  third  son  of  Andrew 

Arbuthnot  of  Fiddes,  66 

Alexander,  son  of  Andrew  Ar- 
buthnot, 281 

Alexander,  fourth  son  of  David 

Arbuthnot,  86 
Alexander,  fourth  son  of  Major- 

General  George  Alexander  Arbuthnot, 

238 

Alexander,  fifth  son  of  Hugh 

Arbuthnot,  85 

Alexander,  third  son  of  James 

Arbuthnot  of  Middleton  of  Rora,  255 

Alexander,  son  of  John  Arbuth- 
not, first  Laird  of  Cairngall,   124 

Alexander,  son  of  John  Arbuth- 
not, Chevalier  de  St.   George,    167 

Alexander,  fourth  son  of  John 

Arbuthnot  of  Legasland  (beUeved  to 
be  Identical  with  Alexander  Arbuth- 
not, printerin  Edinburgh),  89,  95,  no, 
144,  note;  his  wife,  .Agnes  Penicuik,  89 

Alexander,  fourth  son  of  John 

Arbuthnot  in  Rora,  152 

Alexander,   third  son  of  John 

Arbuthnot  of  Whitehill,  281 

Alexander,  sixth  son  of  Nathaniel 

Arbuthnot  of  Hatton,  248 

Alexander,    third    son    of    Sir 

Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  67 

Alexander,  third  son  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  Whitehill,   280 
Alexander,  fourth  son  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,   37 
Alexander,  second  son  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  Caterline,  57 
Alexander,  third  son  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  Fiddes,  48 

Alexander,  fifth  son  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  Fiddes,  49 

Alexander,  second  son  of  John 

Arbuthnot  of  Caterline,  67 


Arbuthnot,  Alexander,  third  son  of 
William  Arbuthnot  of  Invernettie,  150 

Alexander,  fourth  son  of  Thomas 

Arbuthnot  of  Innervidie  and  Nether 
Kinmundy,  273 

• Alexander  (unidentified),  hus- 
band of  Katherine  Arbuthnot,  42,  43 

• Lieutenant-Colonel  Alex- 
ander George,  second  son  of  Sir 
Charles  George  Arbuthnot,  K.C.B., 
237  ;   his  wife.  Olive  Mary  Burton,  ib. 

Sir  Alexander  John,  K.C.S.I., 

third  son  of  Alexander  Arbuthnot, 
Bishop  of  Killaloe,  236  ;  his  first 
wife,  Frederica  Fearon,  ib.  ;  his 
second  wife,  Constance  Angelina  Mil- 
man,   ib. 

Alice   Catharine,   daughter   of 

General  George  Bingham  Arbuthnot, 
wife  of  Captain  Charles  R.  K.  Hub- 
buck,  238 

Alice    Magdalen,    daughter   of 

John  Alves  Arbuthnot,  312 

Alice     Marion,     daughter     of 

William  Arbuthnot  of  Ham  Manor, 
Berks,  wife  of  Edward  Herbert  Fox, 
3" 

Alice  Maud,  daughter  of  Hugh 

Lyttelton  Arbuthnot,  wife  of  Brigadier- 
General  Sir  Dalrymple  Arbuthnot, 
fifth  Baronet,  312,  328 

Aline,  daughter  of  Major  Lenox- 

Conyngham  Arbuthnot,  422 

Aline  Grace,   daughter  of   Fitz- 

james  Arbuthnot,  287 

Aline    Henriette,   daughter   of 

Sir  \^'illiam  Wedderburn  Arbuthnot, 
third  Baronet,  323 

Alison,   daughter  of  Alexander 

Arbuthnot,  printer  in  Edinburgh,  89 

Alister  Dare   Stavelv,   eldest 

son  of  George  Ireland  Arbuthnot,  319 

Ambrose,  son  of  Robert  Arbuth- 
not of  that  Ilk,  39 

Andrew,  of  that  Ilk,  eldest  son 

of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  51, 
52,  57-61,  88;  his  first  wife,  EUza- 
beth  Carnegy,  60  ;  his  second  wife, 
Margaret  Hoppringil,  61 

Andrew,  of  Broadlands,  third  son 

of  Andrew  Arbuthnot  of  Hatton,  248, 
249  ;  his  wife,  Margaret  Fraser,  249 

Andrew,    of    Crimond    Gorthie, 

third  son  of  Alexander  Arbuthnot  in 
Pitcarles,  56 

Andrew,   of  Fiddes,   eldest  son 

of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Fiddes,  48. 
88  ;  his  first  wife,  Sara  Strachan, 
48  ;  his  second  wife,  Janet  Gordon,  ib. 

Andrew,  of  Fiddes,  second  son  of 

Sir  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  65-6, 
147  ;  his  wife,  Helen  Lindsay,  65,  66 


494 


MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 


Arbuthnot,  Andrew,  of  Hatton.  second 
son  of  Alexander  Arbuthnot  in  Rora, 
247  ;    his  wife,  Mary  Dalgarno,  ib. 

Andrew,     of    Nether    Mill    of 

Cruden,  250 

• Andrew,  in  Pitcarles,  fifth  son 

of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk, 
39,  note,  40,  41-2  ;  his  wife,  Elizabeth 
Strachan,  42 

Andrew,  eldest  son  of  Andrew 

Arbuthnot  of  Broadlands,  249 

Andrew,  fourth  son  of  Andrew 

Arbuthnot  of  Fiddes,  66 

Andrew,  son  of  George  Arbuth- 
not in  Barnehill,  42 

Andrew,  third  son  of  Nathaniel 

Arbuthnot  of  Hatton,  248 

Andrew,    eldest    son    of    John 

Arbuthnot  of  Mondynes,  53 

Andrew,    fourth    son    of    John 

Arbuthnot  of  Whitehill,  2S1  ;  his 
wife,  Anne  Hepburn,  »6. 

— • Andrew,  second  son  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  Fiddes,  49 

Andrew   (second  of  the  name), 

third  son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of 
Fiddes,  49 

Andrew,  natural  son  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot,  40 

Andrew    Carmichael,    seventh 

son  of  William  Reierson  Arbuthnot, 
386  ;  his  wife,  Jessie  Evelyn  Lam- 
bert, ib. 

Anne,    daughter    of    Alexander 

Arbuthnot,  Bishop  of  Killaloe,  wife 
of  William  Chatteris,   235 

Anne,    daughter    of    the    Rev. 

Alexander  Arbuthnot,   154 

Anne,    daughter    of    Alexander 

Arbuthnot,  litster  in  Peterhead,  251 

Anne,  daughter  of  George  Ar- 
buthnot, first  of  Elderslie,  381 

Anne,  daughter  of  James  Arbuth- 
not, "  the  Young  Bailie,"  274,  and  ho;« 

Anne,  daughter  of  James  Edward 

Arbuthnot,  wife  of  Edward  Douglas, 
320 

Anne,    daughter    of    Dr.    John 

Arbuthnot,  161 

Anne,  daughter  of  John  Arbuth- 
not of  Rockfleet,  wife  of  Richard 
Holmes,   178 

Anne,   daughter  of  John  Alves 

Arbuthnot;  312 

Anne,    daughter    of    Nathaniel 

Arbuthnot  of  Hatton,  249 

Anne,  daughter  of  Robert  Ar- 
buthnot of  Fiddes,  wife  of  James 
AUerdyce,  49 

Anne,  daughter  of  Thomas  Ar- 
buthnot. "  the  Old  Bailie,"  wife  of 
William  Scott,  273 


Arbuthnot.    Anne,     daughter    of    Sir 
William  Arbuthnot,  first  Baronet,  310 

Anne,     daughter     of     WilUam 

Arbuthnot  in  Auchterady,  152 

Anne  Gertrude  Grace,  daughter 

of  Archibald  Francis  Arbuthnot,  318 

Archibald,   son  of   George  Ar- 
buthnot in  Barnehill,  42 

Major  Archibald  Ernest,  third 

son  of  Archibald  Francis  Arbuthnot, 
316  ;  his  wife,  Anne  Elizabeth  Ball,  ib. 

Archibald  Francis,  fourth  son 

of  Sir  Willian  Arbuthnot.  first  Baronet, 
309,  314  ;  his  wife,  the  Hon.  Gertrude 
Sophia  Gough,  314 

Captain  Archibald  Hugh,  eldest 

son  of  Major  Archibald  Ernest  Ar- 
buthnot, 316  ;  his  wife.  Gertrude 
Alice  Green,  ib. 

Archibald  Hugh  Gough,  eldest 

son  of  Captain  Archibald  Hugh 
Arbuthnot,  316 

Arthur,  of  Woodford,  only  son 

of  General  Charles  George  Arbuthnot, 
231,  233-4  •  his  wife,  Emily  Cuthbert, 
234 

Arthur,  fifth  son  of  Nathaniel 

Arbuthnot  of  Rora,  252 

Arthur  John  de  Monte,  eldest 

son  of  John  de  Monte  Arbuthnot.  381 

Captain  Ashley  Herbert,  eldest 

son  of  Herbert  Robinson  Arbuthnot, 
421 

Augusta    Mary,    daughter    of 

George  Arbuthnot  of  the  Treasury,  241 

Barbara,    daughter    of    Robert 

Arbuthnot,  first  of  Haddo-Rattray, 
wife  of  Dr.  David  Wilson,  2S9,  355, 
note 

Beatrice  Bingham,  daughter  of 

Major-General  George  Alexander  Ar- 
buthnot, 238 

Beatrice  Caroline,  daughter  of 

Admiral  Charles  Ramsay  Arbuthnot, 
314 

Beatrice    Mary,    daughter    of 

Sir  Charles  George  Arbuthnot,  K.C.B., 
wife  of  Major  Alan  Sutherland  Col- 
quhoun.  237 

Benedict,    Abbot   of   Ratisbon, 

see  Charles  Arbuthnot,  Abbot  of 
Ratisbon 

Bernard  Kieran  Charles,  third 

son  of  Major  John  Bernard  Arbuth- 
not, 311 

Bessie,  daughter  of  James  Ar- 
buthnot of  Lentusche,  119 

Bingham    Henry   Law.    second 

son  of  General  George  Bingham  Ar- 
buthnot, 238 

Bruce,  son  of  Macduff  Arbuthnot, 

287 


INDEX 


495 


Arbuthnot,  Capel  Robert,  second  son 
of  Hugh  Gough  Arbuthnot,  315 

Carina,    daughter    of    Wilham 

Thomas  Arbuthnot,   287 

Caroline,  daughter  of  the  Right 

Hon.  Charles  Arbuthnot,  232 

Caroline  Anne  Maud,  daughter 

of  Sir  General  Charles  George  Arbuth- 
not, K.C.B.,  wife  of  Mervyn  Hugh 
Cobb.  R.N,.  237 

■ Caroline     Elizabeth    Mabel. 

daughter  of  William  Reierson  Arbuth- 
not. 384 

Caroline    Rose,    daughter    of 

WilUam  Robert  Arbuthnot.  284 

CATHERINE,    see    Katherine    Ar- 
buthnot 

Catherine,   daughter  of   David 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  wife  of  Alex- 
ander Grahame,  38 

Catherine,  daughter  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  wife  of  John 
AUardyce.  37 

Catherine,   daughter  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  married  first 
to  David  Auchinleck,  and  secondly  to 
Gilbert  Turing,  40 

Catherine,  daughter  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  Fiddes,  wife  of  Alex- 
ander  Burnett  of  Leys,   48 

Catherine,  daughter  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  Mountpleasant,  wife  of 
Thomas  McCombie,  284 

Catherine,  daughter  of  Captain 

Thomas  Arbuthnot,  wife  of  Mr. 
Francis  Melville,  minister  of  Arbuth- 
nott.  61 

Catherine,  daughter  of  William 

Arbuthnot  of  Dens,  wife  of  John 
Hutchison,  286 

Catherine  Gregor,  daughter  of 

George  Arbuthnot,  first  of  Elder.slie. 
377.  378-9,  382 

Catherine  Ormsbv,  daughter  of 

General  George  Bingham  Arbuthnot, 
238 

Cecilia    Albinia,    daughter    of 

Sir  George  Gough  Arbuthnot,  wife  of 
Captain  the  Hon.  Robert  Lygon,  318 

Right    Hon.    Charles,    second 

son  of  John  Arbuthnot  of  Rockfleet, 
170,  178;  his  birth,  iSi  ;  is  brought 
up  by  his  mother's  family,  182  ; 
death  of  his  great-uncle,  Mr.  Andrew 
Stone,  ib.  \  is  sent  to  school  at  Rich- 
mond, and  later  to  Westminster,  ib.  ; 
death  of  Mrs.  Andrew  Stone,  183  ;  is 
sent  to  Oxford,  ib.  ;  his  father's  failure 
in  business,  ib.  ;  is  destined  for  the 
law.  184  ;  travels  on  the  continent. 
ib.  ;  visits  Poland,  ib.  ;  returns  to 
England,   ib.  ;    enters   the   Army   on 


outbreak  of  war  between  England 
and  France  in  1793.  ib.  ;  abandons 
the  Army  and  is  appointed  precis- 
writer  at  the  Foreign  Office  by  Lord 
Crenville.  ib.  ;  proceeds  to  Stock- 
holm as  Charge  d'Afiaires,  ib.  ;  mar- 
ries Marcia.  daughter  and  co-heiress 
of  William  Clapcott-Lisle  of  Upway, 
Dorset,  185,  231  ;  appointed  Envoy- 
Extraordinary  to  the  Court  of  Sweden, 
185  ;  appointed  Ambassador-Extra- 
ordinary and  Plenipotentiary  to  the 
Sublime  Porte,  ib.  ;  proceeds  to  Con- 
stantinople with  his  family,  ib.  ;  war 
with  France  in  progress,  187  ;  diffi- 
culty of  opposing  French  intrigues  at 
Constantinople,  ib.  ;  sketch  of  Euro- 
pean politics,  ib.  ;  supremacy  of 
England  in  the  Mediterranean,  ib.  ; 
Napoleon's  schemes  to  detach  Turkey 
from  her  alliance  with  England  and 
Russia,  ib.  ;  General  Sebastiani  sent 
to  Constantinople  to  accomplish  this, 
ib.  ;  sketch  of  the  character  and 
aspirations  of  Selim  III,  Sultan  of 
Turkey,  187-8  ;  death  of  Mrs.  Charles 
Arbuthnot,  188  ;  arrival  of  Sebastiani 
in  Constantinople,  189  ;  abrupt  dis- 
missal by  the  Porte  of  the  Hospodars 
of  Moldavia  and  Wallachia,  contrary 
to  treaty  with  Russia,  ib.  ;  formal 
protest  by  the  Russian  Ambassador, 
190  ;  he  is  supported  by  Mr.  Arbuth- 
not. ib.  ;  vacillation  of  the  Porte.  16.  ; 
Selim  yields  to  the  pressure  of  Russia 
and  England  and  restores  the  Hos- 
podars. igi-;  news  of  the  battle  of 
Jena.  ib.  ;  revulsion  of  feeling  in 
Turkey,  ib.  ;  the  Porte  again  inclines 
towards  an  alliance  with  France,  ib.  ; 
exchange  of  letters  between  Selim 
and  Napoleon,  ib.  ;  Russian  troops 
cross  the  Dniester  and  invade  Tur- 
key, ib.  ;  public  indignation,  192  ; 
dangerous  position  of  the  Russian 
Ambassador,  ib.  ;  Turkey  declares 
war  on  Russia,  193  ;  the  Russian 
Ambassador  is  conveyed  from  Con- 
stantinople in  an  EngUsh  ship.  ib.  ; 
Mr.  Arbuthnot  makes  strong  repre- 
sentations to  the  Porte,  ib.  ;  demands 
the  instant  dismissal  of  the  French 
Ambassador,  ib.  ;  warns  the  Turks  of 
the  approach  of  a  British  squadron, 
ib.  ;  endea\ours  to  send  an  important 
despatch  to  his  Government,  193-4  I 
the  Turks  refuse  a  passport  to  his 
messenger,  194  ;  intention  of  the 
British  Government  to  force  the  Dar- 
danelles and  bombard  Constantinople, 
195  ;  Mr.  Arbuthnot  gets  his  message 
taken    through    without    a    passport. 


406 


MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTIINOTS 


ig6 ;  rumour  that  the  Turkish  Govern- 
ment intended  to  seize  all  the  British 
residents  and  hold  them  as  hostages, 
ib.  ;  Mr.  Arbuthnot  decides  to  leave 
Constantinople  with  all  the  British 
factory,  197  ;  invites  them  to  dine 
on  board  the  Endymion  frigate, 
198  ;  the  vessel  slips  away  in  the 
darkness,  199  ;  they  reach  the  British 
Squadron  outside  the  Dardanelles  in 
safety,  ib.  ;  reinforcements  under 
Admiral  Duckworth  arrive  at  Tenedos, 
200  ;  decision  to  force  the  Dardanelles 
forthwith,  201  ;  the  fleet  proceeds  up 
the  Straits,  February  19,  1807,  203  ; 
destruction  of  a  Turkish  squadron  in 
the  Sea  of  Marmora,  204  ;  the  fleet 
comes  to  anchor  ofi  Princes  Islands 
at  10  p.m.,  February  20th,  205  ;  panic 
at  Constantinople,  ib.  ;  momentary 
triumph  of  British  influence,  ib.  ; 
SeHra  prepares  to  yield  to  the  demands 
of  England  and  Russia,  206  ;  Sebas- 
tiani  encourages  the  Turks  to  tem- 
porize, 207  ;  Mr.  Arbuthnot  protests 
against  the  Turkish  measures  of 
defence  207-8  ;  threatens  immediate 
hostihties,  208  ;  the  fleet  is  becalmed 
and  powerless  to  approach  Constan- 
tinople, ib.  ;  Mr.  Arbuthnot  blamed 
for  failure  of  the  expedition,  ib.  ;  he 
is  taken  seriously  ill  on  board  the 
Royal  George,  210  ;  negotiations 
continue,  211  ;  position  of  the  fleet 
becomes  critical,  ib.  ;  Admiral  Duck- 
worth decides  to  weigh  anchor  and 
re-pass  the  Dardanelles,  212  ;  sharp 
fighting  and  heavy  casualties  during 
the  passage,  ib.  ;  the  fleet  gets  through 
without  the  loss  of  a  ship,  ib.  ;  sensa- 
tion in  England  on  arrival  of  the 
news,  213-14  ;  The  Times  comments 
on  the  failure  of  the  expedition,  ib.  ; 
Mr.  Arbuthnot  abandons  diplomacy 
and  enters  political  life,  215  ;  marries 
secondly  Harriet,  daughter  of  the 
Hon.  Henry  Fane  of  Fulbeck,  ib.,  231 ; 
visits  Paris  with  his  wife,  216;  first 
meeting  between  Wellington  and  Jlrs. 
Arbuthnot,  ib.  ;  ill-natured  comments 
on  their  friendship,  ib.  ;  character  of 
the  Duchess  of  Welhngton,  217  ;  her 
afiection  for  Miss  Edgeworth,  21S  ; 
Mrs.  Arbuthnot's  visits  to  Strath- 
fieldsaye,  219,  221  ;  duel  between 
Welhngton  and  Lord  Winchilsea,  222  ; 
accident  to  Mr.  Huskisson  witnessed 
by  Mrs.  Arbuthnot,  ib.  ;  death  of 
the  Duchess  of  Welhngton,  223-4  : 
death  of  Mrs.  Arbuthnot,  225  ;  Charles 
Arbuthnot  takes  up  his  abode  with 
Wellington    at    Apsley    House,    ib.  ; 


his  disinterested  attachment  to  the 
Duke,  ib.  ;  sketch  of  Mr.  Arbuthnot's 
pohtical  career,  226 ;  his  death  at 
Apsley  House,  229  ;  a  box  of  his 
papers  sent  to  Apsley  House  after 
his  death,  230  ;  correspondence  be- 
tween his  son.  General  Charles  George 
Arbuthnot  and  the  second  Duke  of 
Wellington  relative  to  these  papers, 
230-1  ;  Mr.  Arbuthnot's  Autobio- 
graphy in  full.  Appendix  IV 

RBUTHNOT,  CHARLES  ("  Benedict  ").  Ab- 
bot of  Ratisbon,  third  son  of  James 
Arbuthnot  of  West  Rora,  255  ;  error 
in  inscription  on  his  tombstone  at 
Ratisbon,  ib.,  note  ;  is  brought  up 
as  a  Roman  Catholic,  and  sent  to 
Germany  to  be  educated,  256 ;  is 
ordained  priest,  260  ;  account  of  him 
by  the  poet  Campbell,  264  ;  by  the 
Kev.  Thomas  Dibdin,  265  ;  his  death, 
266  ;  account  of  him  by  his  nephew, 
John  Moir,  266-7  ;  Latin  inscription 
on  his  tombstone,  267  and  note  ;  his 
letters,  256-263,  265-6 

-! Charles,  of  Crichie,   eighth  son 

of  Nathaniel  Arbuthnot  of  Hatton, 
249,  275  ;  his  wife,  Grizel  Johnston, 
249.  275 

Charles,  senior,  of  Greenan,  Co. 

Down,  176,  note 

Charles,  junior,  son  of  the  pre- 
ceding,  176,  note 

Charles,   third  son   of  Andrew 

Arbuthnot  of  Broadlands,  249 

Charles,   eldest   son   of  Arthur 

Arbuthnot  of  Woodford,  234 

Rev.  Charles,  second  son  of  Dr. 

John  Arbuthnot,   160,  note,   161 

Charles,    second    son    of    John 

Arbuthnot  of  Ballany,  Co.  Down,  176, 
note  ;    his  mfe,  Arabella  Arnold,  ib. 

Charles,  son  of  Admiral  Marriott 

Arbuthnot,  Appendix  V,  444 

Mr.  Charles  Criswell,  of  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,   176,  note 

General  Charles  George,  eldest 

son  of  the  Right  Hon.  Charles  Ar- 
buthnot, 230,  231,  232-3  ;  his  wife, 
the  Hon.  Charlotte  Vivian,  233 

General  Sir  Charles  George, 

K.C.B.,  fourth  son  of  Alexander 
Arbuthnot,  Bishop  of  Killaloe,  236  ; 
his  wiie,   Caroline  Clarke,  ib. 

Charles  George,   third  son  of 

John  Alves  Arbuthnot,   312 

Charles    Gordon,    fourth    son 

of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Invernettie, 
285 

Charles  Gwynne,   second  son 

of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Ballure, 
314 


SHEET  C. 


IBUTHNOT 

hitehiU 

1709) 


Thomas  Arbuthnot 

of  Keith  Inch,  Peterhead 

(died  1790) 


James  Arbut 
of  Dens 
(died  i8=3) 


Georoe  Arbuthnot 
of  Invernettie 
(died  1847) 


William  Arbut 

of  Dens,  3rd  : 

(died  1867) 


William  Reiersox 

of  Flaw  Hatcn, 

Sussex,  5th  son 

{died  1913) 


James  Arbuthnot 
of  Invernettie 
[died  1873) 


Edward  Ooilvy 
Arbuthnot 
of  Dales  and 
Invernettie, 
Aberdeenshire 
(died  1912) 


Gavin  Campbell  Arbuthnot 
Reported  wounded  and 
missing  from  Gallipoli, 


496 


MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTIINOTS 


196 ;  rumour  that  the  Turkish  Govern- 
ment intended  to  seize  all  the  British 
residents  and  hold  them  as  hostages, 
ib.  ;  Mr.  Arbuthnot  decides  to  leave 
Constantinople  with  all  the  British 
factory,  197  ;  invites  them  to  dine 
on  board  the  Endymion  frigate, 
198  ;  the  vessel  slips  away  in  the 
darkness,  199  ;  they  reach  the  British 
Squadron  outside  the  Dardanelles  in 
safety,  ib.  ;  reinforcements  under 
Admiral  Duckworth  arrive  at  Tenedos, 
200  ;  decision  to  force  the  Dardanelles 
forthwith,  201  ;  the  fleet  proceeds  up 
the  Straits,  February  19,  1807,  203  ; 
destruction  of  a  Turkish  squadron  in 
the  Sea  of  Marmora,  204  ;  the  fleet 
comes  to  anchor  off  Princes  Islands 
at  10  p.m.,  February-  20th,  205  ;  panic 
at  Constantinople,  ib.  ;  momentary 
triumph  of  British  influence,  ib.  ; 
Selim  prepares  to  yield  to  the  demands 
of  England  and  Russia,  206  ;  Sebas- 
tian! encourages  the  Turks  to  tem- 
porize, 207  ;  Mr.  Arbuthnot  protests 
against  the  Turkish  measures  of 
defence  207-8  ;  threatens  immediate 
hostiUties,  208  ;  the  fleet  is  becalmed 
and  powerless  to  approach  Constan- 
tinople, ib.  ;  Mr.  Arbuthnot  blamed 
for  failure  of  the  expedition,  ib.  ;  he 
is  taken  seriously  ill  on  board  the 
Royal  George,  210  ;  negotiations 
continue,  211  ;  position  of  the  fleet 
becomes  critical,  ib.  ;  Admiral  Duck- 
worth decides  to  weigh  anchor  and 
re-pass  the  Dardanelles,  212  ;  sharp 
fighting  and  heavy  casualties  during 
the  passage,  ib.  ;  the  fleet  gets  through 
without  the  loss  of  a  ship,  ib.  ;  sensa- 
tion in  England  on  arrival  of  the 
news,  213-14  ;  The  Times  comments 
on  the  failure  of  the  expedition,  ib.  ; 
Mr.  Arbuthnot  abandons  diplomacy 
and  enters  political  life,  215  ;  marries 
secondly  Harriet,  daughter  of  the 
Hon.  Henry  Fane  of  Fulbeck,  ib.,  231 ; 
visits  Paris  with  his  wife,  216;  first 
meeting  between  Wellington  and  Mrs. 
Arbuthnot,  ib.  ;  ill-natured  comments 
on  their  friendship,  ib.  ;  character  of 
the  Duchess  of  Wellington,  217;  her 
affection  for  Miss  Edgeworth,  218  ; 
Mrs.  Arbuthnot's  visits  to  Strath- 
fieldsaye,  219,  221  ;  duel  between 
WelUngton  and  Lord  Winchilsea,  222  ; 
accident  to  Mr.  Huskisson  witnessed 
by  Mrs.  Arbuthnot,  ib.  ;  death  of 
the  Duchess  of  Wellington,  223-4  '• 
death  of  Mrs.  Arbuthnot,  225  ;  Charles 
Arbuthnot  takes  up  his  abode  with 
WelUngton    at    Apsley    House,    ib.  ; 


his  disinterested  attachment  to  the 
Duke,  ib.  ;  sketch  of  Mr.  Arbuthnot's 
poUtical  career,  226 ;  his  death  at 
Apsley  House,  229  ;  a  box  of  his 
papers  sent  to  Apsley  House  after 
his  death,  230  ;  correspondence  be- 
tween his  son.  General  Charles  George 
Arbuthnot  and  the  second  Duke  of 
Wellington  relative  to  these  papers, 
230-1  ;  Mr.  Arbuthnot's  Autobio- 
graphy in  full.  Appendix  IV 

Arbuthnot,  Charles  ("  Benedict  "),  Ab- 
bot of  Ratisbon,  third  son  of  James 
Arbuthnot  of  West  Rora,  255  ;  error 
in  inscription  on  his  tombstone  at 
Ratisbon,  ib.,  note  ;  is  brought  up 
as  a  Roman  Catholic,  and  sent  to 
Germany  to  be  educated,  256 ;  is 
ordained  priest,  260  ;  account  of  him 
by  the  poet  Campbell,  264  ;  by  the 
Rev.  Thomas  Dibdin,  265  ;  his  death, 
266  ;  account  of  him  by  his  nephew, 
John  Moir,  266-7  '<  Latin  inscription 
on  his  tombstone,  267  and  ■note  ;  his 
letters,  256-263,  265-6 

^ Charles,  of  Crichie,  eighth  son 

of  Nathaniel  Arbuthnot  of  Hatton, 
249,  275  ;  his  wife,  Grizel  Johnston, 
249,  275 

Charles,  senior,  of  Greenan,  Co. 

Down,  176,  note 

Charles,  junior,  son  of  the  pre- 
ceding,  176,  note 

Charles,   third   son   of  Andrew 

Arbuthnot  of  Broadlands,  249 

Charles,   eldest   son   of  Arthur 

Arbuthnot  of  Woodford,  234 

Rev.  Charles,  second  son  of  Dr. 

John  Arbuthnot,   i5o,  note,   161 

Charles,    second    son    of    John 

Arbuthnot  of  Ballany,  Co.  Down,  176, 
note  ;    his  wife,  Arabella  Arnold,  ib. 

Charles,  son  of  Admiral  Marriott 

Arbuthnot,  Appendix  V,  444 

Mr.  Charles  Criswell,  of  Cleve- 
land,  Ohio,   176,  note 

General  Charles  George,  eldest 

son  of  the  Right  Hon.  Charles  Ar- 
buthnot, 230,  231,  232-3  ;  his  wife, 
the  Hon.  Charlotte  Vivian,  233 

General  Sir  Charles  George, 

K.C.B.,  fourth  son  of  Alexander 
Arbuthnot,  Bishop  of  Killaloe,  236  ; 
his  «ife,   Caroline  Clarke,  ib. 

Charles   George,   third  son  of 

John  Alves  Arbuthnot,   312 

Charles    Gordon,    fourth    son 

of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Invernettie, 
285 

Charles  Gwynne,   second  son 

of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Ballure, 
314 


^:zj.„. 


0          .1 

T 

:i 

1 

\ 
1 

INDEX 


497 


Arbuthnot,  Charles  Hussey  Vivian, 
second  son  of  General  Charles  George 
Arbuthnot,   233 

Charles  James,  third  sou  of  James 

Arbuthnot,  "  the  Young  Bailie,"  274 

Admiral     Charles      Ramsay. 

second  son  of  George  Cleric  Arbuthnot 
of  Mavisbank,  313  ;  his  wife,  Emily 
Caroline  Schomberg,  ib. 

Charles  William,  eldest  son  of 

Sir  Charles  George  Arbuthnot,  K.C.B., 
236 

Charlotte,  daughter  of  Thomas 

Arbuthnot  of  Keith  Inch,  282 

Charlotte  d'Ende,  daughter  of 

Sir  Robert  Keith  Arbuthnot.  second 
Baronet,  wife  of  the  Rev.  Charles  Hall 
Raikes.  322 

Charlotte  Elizabeth,  daughter 

of  James  Edward  Arbuthnot,  wife  of 
Commander  Frederick  George  Loring, 
320 

Charlotte   Letitia   Caroline, 

daughter  of  General  Charles  George 
Arbuthnot,  wife  of  Sir  Herbert  Harley 
Murray,  233 

Christian,    daughter   of   David 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  38 

Christian,    daughter   of    James 

Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche,  wife  of 
James  LesHe,   119 

Christian,    daughter   of    James 

Arbuthnot  of  Middleton  of  Rora,  255 

Christian,    daughter   of    James 

Arbuthnot,   "  the  Young  Bailie,"  274 

Christian,    daughter    of    John 

Arbuthnot,  second  Laird  of  Cairngall, 
133 

Christian,   daughter  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  wife  of  Alex- 
ander Eraser  of  Durris,  40 

Christian,   daughter  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  wife  of  George 
Symmer,  54 

Christian,  daughter  of  Thomas 

Arbuthnot  of   Keith   Inch,    282 

Christian,  daughter  of  Thomas 

Arbuthnot,  "  the  Old  Baihe,"  wife  of 
Captain  A.  Eraser,  254,  272 

Christian,  daughter  of  Captain 

Thomas  Arbuthnot,  wife  of  George 
Gordon  of  Auchleuchries,  272 

Christina,  daughter  of  Macduff 

Arbuthnot,  2S7 

Cicely  May,  daughter  of  Wilham 

Reierson  Arbuthnot,  wife  of  Lieut. - 
.   Colonel   Hugh   Neufville   Taylor,    387 

Clementina  Julia  Alma  Ogilvy, 

daughter  of  the  Rev.  William  Arbuth- 
not, wife  of  the  Rev.  Harold  Sharp,  286 

Clive    Denison,    eldest   son    of 

Harold  Denisoa  Arbuthnot,  384 


Arbuthnot,  Constance,  daughter  of 
Hubert  Arbuthnot,  wife  of  Willoughby 
Mogride,   287 

Constance  Gertrude,  daughter 

of  Hugh  Gough  Arbuthnot,  wife  of 
Ernest  Luxmoore  Marshall,  315 

Constance  Margaret,  daughter 

of  the  Rev.  Robert  Keith  Arbuthnot, 
wife  of  Captain  Robert  Keyworth, 
322 

CouTTS   Trotter,    third   son   of 

George  Arbuthnot,  first  of  Elderslie, 
3S1 

Crofton,    sixth   son   of    James 

Arbuthnot  of  Natal,  288  ;  his  wife, 
Mary  Maby,  ib. 

Crofton   Keith,  second  son  of 

the  preceding,  288 

Cynthia     Isabelle    Theresa, 

daughter  of  Gerald  Archibald  Arbuth- 
not, M.P.,  315 

Brigadier-General    Sir    Dal- 

RYMPLE,  G.C.B.,  fifth  Baronet,  279, 
312,  322,  328  ;  his  wife,  AUce  Maud 
Arbuthnot,  312,  328 

Daphne    Rubina,    daughter    of 

Edgar  Arbuthnot,  287 

David,   of  that   Ilk,   eldest  son 

of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  37  ; 
his  wife,  Elizabeth  Durham,  ib.,  and 
note 

David,   of  Auchterforfar,   eldest 

son  of  Alexander  Arbuthnot  in  Pit- 
carles,  56-7 

D.wiD,  of  Findowrie,  fifth  son  of 

Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  54, 
56,  60 

David,  of  Long  Seat,  Belhelvie, 

fifth  son  of  John  Arbuthnot  of  Legas- 
land,  89-90,  94,   io8,   109,  144 

David,  at  Mill  of  Rora,   147 

David,   of   Pitcarles,   see   David 

Arbuthnot  of  Auchterforfar 

David,  of  Weymouth,  57,  note  ; 

Appendix  V,  444 

David,    second    son    of    Hugh 

Arbuthnot,  8j,  86  ;  his  wife,  Christian 
Rhind,  86 

David,  third  son  of  David  Ar- 
buthnot, 86 

David,  third  son  of  James  Ar- 
buthnot of  that  Ilk,  50 

David,  third  son  of  Robert  Ar- 
buthnot of  CaterUne,  57 

David   Denison,  second  son  of 

Harold  Denison  Arbuthnot,   384 

David    George,    eldest    son    of 

Major  John  Bernard  Arbuthnot,  311 

Donald  Cordiner,  third  son  of 

Crofton  Arbuthnot,   288 

DoREEN,    daughter    of   Crofton 

Arbuthnot,  288 


32 


498 


MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 


Arbuthnot,  Dorothea  Helen  Mary, 
daughter  of  Gerald  Archibald  Arbuth- 
not, M.P.,  315 

Dorothea  May  Ogilvy,  daughter 

of  the  Rev.  William  Arbuthnot,  286 

Dorothy    Gertrude,    daughter 

of  Colonel  George  Arbuthnot  of  Nor- 
ton Court,  wife  of  Major  Hugh  F. 
B.  Champain,  312 

Dorothy    Grace,    daughter    of 

William  Reierson  Arbuthnot,  387 

DuLciE,  daughter  of  St.  George 

Arbuthnot,  2S7 

Edgar,   second  son   of  William 

Thomas  Arbuthnot,  287  ;  his  wife, 
Georgie  Hepom,  ib. 

■ Edith,    daughter    of    John    de 

Monte  Arbuthnot,  wife  of  Wilham 
Henry  Ambrose,  381 

Edith   Gertrude,    daughter   of 

Major  Archibald  Ernest  Arbuthnot, 
wife  of  Basil  Stephenson,  316 

Edward  Ogilvy,  second  son  of 

James  Arbuthnot  of  Invernettie,  285  ; 
his  wife,  Mai  Violet  von  Cassia,  ib. 

Edward  Surtees,  fourth  son  of 

James  Edward  Arbuthnot.   319 

• Eileen  Mabel,  daughter  of  St. 

George  Ray  Arbuthnot,  287 

Eleanor      Louisa,      youngest 

daughter  of  George  Arbuthnot,  first 
of  Elderslie,  367,  382  ;  attempted 
abduction  of  her  by  Mr.  John  Carden 
of  Barnane,  387-419  ;  his  trial  and 
imprisonment,  405-415;  his  vain 
attempts  to  obtain  an  interview  with 
her,  416-17  ;  he  is  bound  over  to 
keep  the  peace,  418,  and  note  ;  meets 
Miss  Arbuthnot  abroad,  419;  final 
interview  between  them,  ib.  ;  her 
death,  420 

■ Eliza     Taylor,     daughter     of 

William  Urquhart  Arbuthnot,  wife  of 
Wilham  Spottiswoode,  319 

Elizabeth,  of  Bahvhyllo,  daughter 

of  John  Arbuthnot  of  Caterhue,  67 

Elizabeth,  one  of  "  the  French 

ladies,"  daughter  of  John  Arbuthnot, 
Knight  of  St.  Louis,   167 

■ Elizabeth,  daughter  of  the  Rev. 

Alexander  Arbuthnot,   155 

Elizabeth,    daughter   of   DaWd 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  wife  of  Patrick 
Barclay  of  Garntully,  38 

Elizabeth,  daughter  of  George 

Arbuthnot  of  Invernettie,  wife  of 
George  Gilbert  Anderson,  284 

Elizabeth,   daughter   of   James 

Arbuthnot  of  Arbeikie,  wife  of  John 
Garden,  61 

Elizabeth,   daughter   of   James 

Arbuthnot  of  West  Rora,  256 


Arbuthnot,  Elizabeth  (second  of  the 
name),  daughter  of  James  Arbuthnot 
of  West  Rora,  256 

Elizabeth,   daughter  of   James 

Arbuthnot,  "  the  Young  BaiUe,"  274 

Elizabeth,    daughter    of    John 

Arbuthnot,  second  Laird  of  Cairngall, 
married  first  to  Alexander  Martine, 
and  secondly  to  George  Forbes  of 
Aberdour,   132,   133 

Elizabeth,    daughter    of    John 

Arbuthnot  in  Rora,   152 

Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Nathaniel 

Arbuthnot,  wife  of  "a  respectable 
farmer  near  Ellon,"  249 

Elizabeth,   daughter  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  married  first  to 
Thomas  Fotheringham,  and  secondly 
to  Martin  of  Cardowne,  40 

Elizabeth,   daughter  of   Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  wife  of  James 
Mortimer,   55 

Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Captain 

Robert  Arbuthnot,  wife  of  Mr.  James 
Douglas,  6i 

Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Thomas 

Arbuthnot  of  Keith  Inch,  282 

Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Thomas 

Arbuthnot  of  Innervidie  and  Nether 
Kinmundy,  wife  of  Dr.  Macdufif 
Cordiner,  273,  286 

Elizabeth,  daughter  of  William 

Arbuthnot  of  Invernettie,  150 

Elizabeth  Agnew,  daughter  of 

George  Arbuthnot,  first  of  Elderslie, 
wife  of  General  Sir  John  Bloomfield 
Gough,  382 

Elizabeth    Barbara,     daughter 

of  Robert  Arbuthnot,  second  of 
Haddo-Rattray,  wife  of  Sir  John 
Hunter,  29S,  299-306,   362,  369 

Elizabeth  Christian,  daughter 

of  Captain  Robert  Wemyss  Muir 
Arbuthnot,  317 

Elizabeth  Georgiana,  daughter 

of  George  Arbuthnot,  first  of  Elderslie, 
381 

Elizabeth    Gertrude    Gough, 

daughter  of  Robert  George  Arbuthnot, 
317 

Elizabeth  Helen,   daughter  of 

Sir  Wilham  Arbuthnot,  first  Baronet, 
310 

Ellinor  Mary,  daughter  of  Sir 

George  Gough  Arbuthnot,  318 

Elnyth     Mary,     daughter     of 

Robert  Edward  Vaughan  Arbuthnot, 
321 

Elspet,   daughter   of  Alexander 

Arbuthnot,  htster  in  Peterhead,   251 

Elspet,     daughter    of    Andrew 

Arbuthnot  of  Hatton,  248 


INDEX 


499 


Arbuthnot,  Elspet  (second  of  the  name), 
daughter  of  Andrew  Arbuthnot  of 
Hatton,  wife  of  Thomas  Forbes,  24S 

Elspet,     daughter     of     James 

Arbuthnot  of  West  Rora,  236 

Elspet,    daughter   of   Nathaniel 

Arbuthnot  of  Hatton,  249 

Elspet,  daughter  of  Dr.  Thomas 

Arbuthnot,  wife  of  Dr.  Robert  Camp- 
bell,  275 

Elspet,    daughter    of    Thomas 

Arbuthnot.  "  the  Old  BaiUe,"  272 

Emily,  daughter  of  George  Clerk 

Arbuthnot  of  Mavisbank,  wife  of 
John,   first  Lord   Inverclyde,   313 

Emily   Frederica,   daughter  of 

James  Edward  Arbuthnot,  wife  of 
Walter  F.  W.  Wells,  320 

Emma  Marion,  daughter  of  George 

Arbuthnot,  second  of  Eldershc,  422 

Eric,  third  son  of  Arthur  Arbuth- 
not of  Woodford,  234 

Eric,  third  son  of  Hubert  Ar- 
buthnot, 2S7 

Ernest   Douglas,   third   son   of 

Captain  Archibald  Hugh  Arbuthnot, 3 1 6 

Commander  Ernest  Kennaway, 

second  son  of  Major  Archibald  Ernest 
Arbuthnot,  316;  his  wife,  Evie 
Greene,  ib. 

Ernest  William,  fourth  son   of 

George  Arbuthnot,  second  of  Elderslie, 
422 

Esther,    one    of    "  the    French 

ladies,"  daughter  of  John  Arbuthnot, 
Knight  of  St.  Louis,   167 

Ethel,     daughter     of     William 

Thomas  Arbuthnot,  wife  of  WilUam 
Alexander  of  Spring  Hill  and  White- 
hill,  287 

Eugene,   eldest  son  of  Crofton 

Arbuthnot,  28S 

Eva,  daughter  of  James  Arbuth- 
not of  Natal,  wife  of  Edward  Hawks- 
worth.  288 

Evelyn  Geraldine,  daughter  of 

Arthur  Arbuthnot  of  Woodford,  wife 
of  Robert  Oliver  Harold.  234 

Evelyn  Helen  Anne,  daughter 

of  Andrew  Carmichacl  Arbuthnot,  3S6 

Evely.n    Marion,    daughter    of 

Herbert  Robinson  Arbuthnot,  wife  of 
Nigel  Hanbury,  421 

Fanny,     daughter    of     General 

George  Bingham  Arbuthnot,  wife  of 
Captain  Robert  A.  L.  Grews,  23S 

Fitzgerald    Hay.    fifth   son   of 

Sir  Robert  Keith  Arbuthnot,  second 
Baronet,   322 

FiTzjAMES,  fourth  son  of  James 

Arbuthnot  of  Natal,  his  wife,  Eliza- 
beth Crocker,  2S7 


Arbuthnot,  Fitzwilliam,  fifth  son  of 
William  Thomas  Arbuthnot.  287  ;  his 
wife.  Edith  Davey.  ib. 

Florence,    daughter    of    John 

Alves  Arbuthnot.  312 

FoRSTER     Fitzgerald,     second 

son  of  Sir  Robert  Keith  Arbuthnot, 
second  Baronet,  320-1  ;  his  wife, 
Eleanor  Stirling,  321 

Frances,  daughter  of  Alexander 

Arbuthnot.  Bishop  of  Killaloe,  wife 
of  the  Rev.  Patrick  C.  Law.   235 

Frances,  daughter  of  Archibald 

Francis  Arbuthnot,  wife  of  Sir  John 
Kennaway.   third  Baronet.   318 

■ F'rances,  daughter  of  John  Ar- 
buthnot of  Rockfleet.  wife  of  Augustus 
Smith.   179 

Frances    Edith,    daughter    of 

Fitzwilliam  Arbuthnot.  287 

Frances      Ella      Gertrude, 

daughter  of  George  Ireland  Arbuth- 
not, 319 

Frances    Emily,    daughter    of 

Herbert   Robinson   Arbuthnot,   422 

Frances  Gertrude,  daughter  of 

Gerald    Archibald    Arbuthnot,    M.P., 

315 

Frances    Henrietta,    daughter 

of  James  Edward  Arbuthnot,  320 

Frances    Muriel,    daughter    of 

Colonel  George  Arbuthnot  of  Norton 
Court,  wife  of  Captain  Stephen  Brichta, 
312 

Francis,  fifth  son  of  John  Ar- 
buthnot, third  Laird  of  Cairngall,  134 

Francis  Clementi,  third  son  of 

James  Arbuthnot  of  Ballure,   314 

Francis   Sidney,   eldest  son  of 

James  Arbuthnot  of  Elderslie,  Surrey, 
420-1  ;    his  wife,  Lillemor  Halverson, 

Frederick,  second  son  of  Arthur 

Arbuthnot  of  Woodford.   234 

Rev.     Frederick,    son    of    the 

Rev.  Nicholas  Arbuthnot.  176,  note; 
his  wife.  Frances  Hamilton,  ib. 

Frederick  George,  second  son 

of  William  Urquhart  Arbuthnot,   319 

Gavin    Campbell,    only   son    of 

the  Rev.  William  Arbuthnot,  280 

Lieut. -Commander     Geoffrey 

Schomberg,  eldest  son  of  Admiral 
Charles  Ramsay  Arbuthnot,  313 

George,  of  Queen  Anne's  Guard. 

fifth  son  of  the  Rev.  Alexander 
Arbuthnot.  155.  162,  163.  167-170; 
his  wife.  Margaret  Robinson,   169,   170 

George,   first  of   Elderslie,   fifth 

son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot.  second 
of  Haddo-Rattray,  279.  295,  29G, 
297  ;   his  birth,  331  ;  situation  of  his 


500 


MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 


family  at  that  time,  16.  ;  enters  the 
Ceylon  Civil  Service,  332  ;  appointed 
Deputy-Secretary  to  the  Governor  of 
Ceylon,  335  ;  his  impressions  of  the 
Governor,  the  Hon.  Frederick  North, 
336-7  ;  outrage  on  British  merchants 
committed  by  the  Kandians,  337  ; 
British  expedition  to  the  interior,  ib.  ; 
George  Arbuthnot  abandons  the 
Ceylon  Civil  Service  and  takes  up  a 
business  career  instead,  339  ;  enters 
the  firm  of  Lautour  and  Co.  (after- 
wards Arbuthnot  and  Co.)  of  Madras, 
ib.  ;  his  anxiety  with  regard  to  his 
father's  faiUng  health,  341,  342  ; 
massacre  of  British  troops  at  Kandy, 
342-5  ;  George  Arbuthnot's  report 
to  Lord  William  Bentinck  on  the 
subject,  342-4  ;  account  of  the  affair, 
344-5  ;  George  Arbuthnot  endeavours 
in  vain  to  persuade  the  authorities 
to  send  troops  to  Ceylon,  345-6  ;  he 
is  appointed  Agent  at  Madras  for 
the  Ceylon  Government,  352  ;  learns 
of  his  father's  death,  354  ;  gives  up 
a  legacy  from  his  aunt,  Mrs.  Wilson, 
355  ;  marries  EHza,  daughter  of 
Donald  Fraser,  writer  in  Inverness, 
357 ;  death  of  his  mother,  358 ; 
retires  from  business,  359  ;  buys 
Elderslie,  in  the  parish  of  Ockley, 
Surrey,  ib.  ;  death  of  his  brother 
William,  362  ;  attends  the  funeral, 
363  ;  reference  to  his  portrait  of  his 
brother,  364  ;  riots  and  incendiarism 
in  Surrey  in  1830,  365  ;  the  Lords 
throw  out  the  Reform  Bill,  October, 
1 83 1,  ib.  ;  climax  of  popular  indigna- 
tion, ib.  ;  the  King  consents  to  a 
creation  of  peers.  May,  1832,  ib.  ; 
the  Lords  give  way,  and  the  Bill 
becomes  law,  366  ;  George  Arbuthnot 
attends  a  garden-party  at  Holly 
Lodge,  ib.  ;  marriage  of  his  daughter 
Mary  to  her  cousin,  John  Alves 
Arbuthnot,  367  ;  death  of  Mrs.  George 
Arbuthnot,  368  ;  he  stays  with  his 
brother-in-law,  John  Fraser,  at  Cro- 
marty House,  370-3  ;  visits  Strath- 
peffer,  373  ;  and  Brahan  Castle,  373-4  ; 
visits  Craigston  Castle,  374  ;  and 
Aberdeen,  374-5  ;  visits  Arbuthnott 
House,  Ivincardineshire,  375  ;  stays 
at  Fasque  with  Sir  John  Gladstone, 
375-7  ;  delicacy  of  his  daughter 
Catherine,  377,  37S-9  ;  her  death, 
379  ;  his  death,  380  ;  his  letters  to 
his  brother  Robert,  341-2,  346,  347, 
352-3,  355-6,  356  ;  to  the  Hon. 
Frederick  North,  Governor  of  Ceylon, 
345-6.  347-8.  353-4  ;  to  Mr.  WiUiam 
Boyd,  348 ;    to  his  sister  Jane,  349  ; 


to  his  brother  William,  350-1,  352  ; 
to  Lord  Glenbervie,  338,  351  ;  to  his 
mother,  341,  34S-9,  353,  354-5,  356  ; 
to  Eleanor  Urquhart,  354  ;  to  Mrs. 
MacLeod,  357-8  ;  to  Mr.  William  Mac- 
taggart,  358  ;  to  Robert  Hunter, 
360 ;  to  his  daughter  Jane,  306  ; 
his  Diaries  quoted,  359-380 ;  and 
Appendix  VL  445-487 
Arbuthnot,  George,  second  of  Elderslie, 
eldest  surviving  son  of  the  preceding, 
420  ;    his  wife,   Maria  Thomas,  ib. 

George,   third  of  EldersUe,   see 

Arbuthnot-Leslie 

George,   of  Invernettie,   second 

son  of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Dens,  283, 
284 ;  his  wife,  Mary  Hutchison,  284 

Colonel  George,  M.P.,  of  Norton 

Court,  311  ;  his  wife,  Emma  Nepean 
Aitchison,  ib. 

George,    of    the    Bengal    Civil 

Service,  eldest  surviving  son  of  John 
Arbuthnot  of  Rockfieet,  178,  179; 
his  wife,  EUzabeth  Milhcent  Brisco, 
179,   180 

George,   of  the  Treasury,  only 

son  of  General  Sir  Robert  Arbuthnot, 
K.C.B.,  227,  note,  239  ;  his  first  wife, 
Augusta  Amelia  Papendick,  239  ;  his 
second  wife,   Louisa  Anne  Jones,  ib. 

George,  son  of  George  Arbuth- 
not in  Barnehill,  42 

George,  eldest  son  of  Dr.  John 

Arbuthnot,   161,   167 

George,  fourth  son  of  John  Ar- 
buthnot, third  Laird  of  Cairngall,  134 

George,    fourth    son    of    John 

Arbuthnot  of  CaterUne,  67 

George,  fifth  son  of  John  Ar- 
buthnot in  Ravenshaw,  88 

George,  seventh  son  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  55,  60 

George,    fourth  son   of   Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  40 

George,    eldest   son    of    Robert 

Arbuthnot,  first  of  Haddo-Rattray,  289 

George,    third    son    of    Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  Mountpleasant,  283 

George,  son  of  Robert  Arbuth- 
not,  152 

George,   fourth  son  of  William 

Arbuthnot  of  Dens,  286 

M.^jor-General  George  Alex- 
ander, eldest  son  of  General  George 
Bingham  Arbuthnot,  23S  ;  his  wife, 
Fanny  Isabella  Wood,  ib. 

Rev.  George  Alexander  Pa- 
pendick, third  son  of  George  Ar- 
buthnot of  the  Treasury,  241  ;  his 
first  vnie,  Mary  Ellen  Fulcher,  ib.  ; 
his  second  wife,  Annie  Jessie  Thom- 
asine  Hall,  ib. 


INDEX 


501 


Arbuthnot,  George  Anstruther,  eldest 
son  of  William  Reierson  Arbuthnot, 
383 

General     George     Bingham, 

second  son  of  Alexander  Arbuthnot, 
Bishop  of  Killaloe,   237-8 

George   Clerk,    of  Mavisbank, 

third  son  of  Sir  William  Arbuthnot, 
first  Baronet,  298,  309,  312-13  ;  his 
first  wife,  Agnes  Rait,  312  ;  his 
second  wife,  Caroline  Hay,  313 

Sir  George  Gough,  fifth  son  of 

Archibald  Francis  Arbuthnot,  318 ; 
his  wife,  Isabella  Albinia  Boyle,  ib. 

Lieut. -Colonel  George  Her- 
bert, second  son  of  Major-General 
George  Alexander  Arbuthnot,  238  ; 
his  wife.  Rose  Wiglie,  ib. 

Major    George    Holme,    only 

son  of  Major-General  Henry  Thomas 
Arbuthnot,  241  ;  his  wife,  Isabella 
Catherine  Cramer-Roberts,  ib. 

■ George   Ireland,   third  son  of 

James  Edward  Arbuthnot.  319  ;  his 
wife,  Nettie  May  Cumming  Munro,  ib. 

George   Ramsay,   eldest  son  of 

James  Arbuthnot  of  Ballure,  314 

Gerald   Archibald,    M.P.,    son 

of  Major-General  William  Arbuthnot, 
315  ;  his  wife,  Mary  Johanna  Oppen- 
heim,  ib. 

Geraldine,    daughter    of    Fitz- 

william  Arbuthnot,  287 

Geraldine   Mary,   daughter   of 

the  Rev.  Robert  Keith  Arbuthnot, 
wife  of  Henry  Edward  Hamill- 
Stewart,  322 

Giles,  daughter  of  David  Ar- 
buthnot of  that  Ilk,  married  first  to 
Cargill  of  Lessington,  and  secondly 
to  Alexander  Fraser  of  Durris,  38 

Giles,  daughter  of  Robert  Ar- 
buthnot of  that  Ilk,  married  first 
to  Henry  Grahame  of  Morphie, 
secondly  to  Andrew  Strachan  of 
Tibbertie,  and  thirdly  to  Thomas 
Fraser  of  Stonywood,  40 

Grizel,   daughter   of   Alexander 

Arbuthnot  in  Rora.  wife  of  John 
Hay  in  Savock,  247 

Grizel,     daughter    of     Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  New  Seat,  wife  of 
Captain   James   Park,   275 

Grizel,  daughter  of  John  Ar- 
buthnot in   Ravenshaw,   88 

Guy,  eldest  son  of  Hubert  Ar- 
buthnot, 287 

• Guy   Lestrange,    third   son   of 

Fitzjames  Arbuthnot,   287 

Harold   Denison,    fifth   son   of 

William  Reierson  Arbuthnot,  384  ; 
his  wife,  Anne  Grace  Lambert,  ib. 


Arbuthnot,  Harriet,  daughter  of  John 
Arbuthnot  of  Rockfleet,  wife  of  Lewis 
Corkran,   179 

Harriet    Gertrude,    daughter 

of  James  Edward   Arbuthnot,   320 

Helen,     daughter     of    Andrew 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  wife  of  Alex- 
ander Fraser,  6i 

Helen,     daughter     of    Andrew 

Arbuthnot  of  Fiddes,  married  first  to 
Robert  Burnett,  and  secondly  to  John 
Sandilands,  66 

Helen,  daughter  of  David  Ar- 
buthnot of  Auchterforfar,  married 
first  to  Captain  James  HaUburton, 
and  secondly  to  George  Kinnaird,  57 

Helen,  daughter  of  James  Ar- 
buthnot of  Lentusche,  married  first 
to  John  Leslie  in  Boigs,  and  secondly 
to  John  Gordon  of  Tilligreig,   119 

Helen,     daughter    of    William 

Urquhart  Arbuthnot,   319 

Helen    Baillie,    daughter    of 

Sir  William  Arbuthnot,  first  Baronet, 
310 

Helen    Frances,    daughter    of 

William  Reierson  Arbuthnot,  wife  of 
Lieut.-Colonel  William  Middleton,  386 

Helen    Marion,     daughter    of 

William  Reierson  Arbuthnot,  junior, 
384 

Henrietta   Anne,   daughter   of 

Sir  Robert  Keith  Arbuthnot,  322 

Henry,  second  son  of  the  Right 

Hon.  Charles  Arbuthnot,  232  ;  his 
wife.  Lady  Charlotte  Rachel  Scott,  ib. 

Henry  (unidentified),    iii,  note, 

117,   128 

Henry  Charles,   son   of  Hugh 

Lyttelton  Arbuthnot,  312 

Henry  Dundas,  seventh  son  of 

Sir  \^'illiam  Arbuthnot,  first  Baronet, 
310,  363,  note 

Henry  Fitzgerald,  second  son 

of  the  Rev.  Robert  Keith  Arbuthnot, 
321  ;  his  wife,  Ivy  Minchin,  ib. 

Major-General  Henry  Thomas, 

second  son  of  George  Arbuthnot  of 
the  Treasury,  240  ;  his  wife,  Annie 
Jane  Mowbray,  ib. 

Herbert   Robinson,    third   son 

of  George  Arbuthnot,  second  of 
Elderslie,  421  ;  his  wife,  Evelyn 
Mary  Noel,  ib. 

Hester    Marion,    daughter    of 

William  Reierson  Arbuthnot,  wife  of 
William  Nevill  Cobbold,  387 

• — -  Horace  Algernon,   second  son 

of  John  de  Monte  Arbuthnot,  381 

Hubert,    third    son    of    James 

Arbuthnot  of  Natal,  287  ;  his  wife, 
Evangeline  Barker,  ib. 


502 


MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 


Arbuthnot,  Hucheon,  natural  son  of 
Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  56 

Hugh,  of  that  Ilk,  son  of  PhiUp 

de  Aberbothenoth,  35-6 

Hugh,    a   physician   in    France, 

second  son  of  David  Arbuthnot  of 
that  Ilk.  38 

Hugh,  fifth  son  of  David  Ar- 
buthnot, 86 

Hugh,  third  son  of  Hugh  Ar- 
buthnot, 85 

Hugh,    second    son    of    Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  37,  85 

Hugh    Archibald,    second    son 

of  Colonel  George  Arbuthnot  of 
Norton  Court,  311 

Hugh  Fitzgerald,  son  of  Henry- 
Fitzgerald  Arbuthnot,  321 

Hugh    Gough,    second    son    of 

Archibald  Francis  Arbuthnot,  315; 
his  wife,  CaroUne  Molyneux,  ib. 

Hugh   Keith,  R.N.,  third  son  of 

the  Rev.  Robert  Keith  Arbuthnot,  322 

Hugh  Lyttelton,  fourth  son  of 

John  Alves  Arbuthnot,  312,  328;  his 
wife,  Elizabeth  Fountaine  Walker,  312 

Hugo,   second  son  of  Fitzjames 

Arbuthnot,  287 

Irene  Joan  Grace,  daughter  of 

Major  John  Bernard  Arbuthnot,  311 

Isabel,  daughter  of  James  Ar- 
buthnot of  that  Ilk,  married  first  to 
David  Ochterlony,  and  secondly  to 
Robert  Maule,  50 

Isabel,  daughter  of  John  Ar- 
buthnot in  Rora,   152 

Isabel,     daughter     of     Robert 

Arbuthnot   of   that   Ilk,    40 

IsoBEL,     daughter     of     Robert 

Arbuthnot   of  that   Ilk,   54 

Isobel,     daughter    of    Thomas 

Arbuthnot,  "  the  Old  BaiUe,"  \vife  of 
WiUiam  Ferguson,   273 

IsoBEL    (unidentified),    wife    of 

Mr.  James  Martine,  minister  of  Peter- 
head,  132,   148,  nole 

Ivy     Florence,     daughter    of 

William  Arbuthnot  of  Ham  Manor,  311 

James,  of  that  Ilk,  eldest  sur- 
viving son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of 
that  Ilk,  40,  49-50  ;  his  wife.  Lady 
Jean  Stewart,  50 

James,    of    Arbeikie,    61  ;      his 

wife,   EHzabeth   Blair,   ib. 

James,    of   Arrat,    third    son   of 

Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  59, 
60  ;  his  wife,  Margaret  Livingstone,  60 

James,   of  Ballure,  third  son  of 

George  Clerk  Arbuthnot  of  Mavis- 
bank,  314  ;  his  first  wife,  Mary 
Steward  Taylor,  ib. ;  his  second  wife, 
Mary  Margaret  Mann,  ib. 


Arbuthnot,  James,  of  Blackstoun,  son  of 
Alexander  Arbuthnot  of  Blackstoun, 
55  ;    his  wife,   Margaret  Rattray,   ib. 

James,  of  Dens,  eldest  surviving 

son  of  Thomas  Arbuthnot  of  Keith 
Inch,  282,  283,  2S8,  289  ;  liis  wife, 
Catherine  Cumine,  283 

James,    in    Garriotsmyre,    sixth 

son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that 
Ilk,  55,  60,  95 

James,     of    Invernettie,     eldest 

son  of  George  Arbuthnot  of  Inver- 
nettie, 284,  285  ;  his  wife,  Eleanor 
Jane  Ogilvy-Wills,  285 

James,  of  Lentusche,  Aberdeen- 
shire, eldest  son  of  John  Arbuthnot 
of  Legasland,  52,  87,  90-114,  115, 
116,  119,  120,  121,  122,  128, 
144,  145  ;  his  first  wife.  Christian 
Collace.  93,  94,  113  ;  his  second  wife, 
Isobel  Leslie,  94,  iii,  113,  114;  his 
third  wife,  Grizel  Leshe.  94,  note,  96, 
9S,   114 

James,  second  Laird  of  Lentusche, 

son  of  the  preceding,  118;  his  first 
wife,  Barbara  Wishart,  ib.  ;  his 
second   wife,    Marie   Fraser,   ib. 

James,  of  Little  Fiddes,  second 

son  of  David  Arbuthnot,  51,  86 

James,   of  Natal,   eldest  son   of 

William  Arbuthnot  of  Dens,  273, 
286  ;   his  wife,  Jean  Cordiner,  273,  286 

James,    of    Nether    Ivinmundy, 

eldest  son  of  Thomas  Arbuthnot  of 
Innervidie  and  Nether  Kinmundy, 
273 

Dr.    James,   of  Richmond   Hill, 

Peterhead,  271  ;  his  wife,  Grace 
Buchan,  272 

James,  of  West  Rora,  sixth  son 

of  Nathaniel  Arbuthnot  of  Rora  and 
Auchlee,  250,  vole,  252-4  ;  his  wife, 
Margaret  Gordon,  254 

J.\mes,   known   as   "  the  Young 

Bailie,"  eldest  son  of  Thomas  Ar- 
buthnot, "  the  Old  BaiUe,"  271,  273  ; 
his  first  wife,  Elizabeth  Gordon,  273  ; 
his  second  wife,  Mary  Balfour,  ib. 

James,   eldest  son  of  Alexander 

Arbuthnot,  htster  in  Peterhead,   251 

James,  third  son  of  James  Ar- 
buthnot of  Arbeikie,  61 

James,     eldest    son    of    James 

Arbuthnot  of  Middleton  of  Rora, 
254-5  ;  his  wife.  Christian  Fraser, 
254  ;  poem  on  his  death  by  the  Rev. 
John  Skinner,  Appendix  I 

James,    second    son    of    James 

Arbuthnot,  "  the  Young  Baihe,"  274 

James    (second    of    the    name), 

fourth  son  of  James  Arbuthnot,  "  the 
Young  Baihe,"  274 


INDEX 


503 


Arbuthnot,  James,  tliird  son  of  John 
Arbuthnot  of  Caterlinc,  67 

James,  eldest  son  of  John  Ar- 
buthnot in  Ravenshaw,  88 

James,  son  of  the  Rev.  Nicholas 

Arbuthnot,  176,  note  ;  his  wife, 
Judith  Beauchamp,  ib. 

James,  second  son  of  Nathaniel 

Arbuthnot  of  Hatton,  248 

James,  fifth  son  of  Robert  Ar- 
buthnot of  that  Ilk,  37  ;  his  wife, 
Grahame,  ib. 

James,    eldest    son    of    Robert 

Arbuthnot   of   Fiddes,    49 

James,    second    son    of    Simon 

Arbuthnot  of  CaterUne,  67  ;  his  wife, 
Helen  Arnot,  ib. 

Lieutenant  James  (unidentified), 

100 

James    Edward,    of    Bon    Air, 

Mauritius,  sixth  son  of  Sir  William 
Arbuthnot,  first  Baronet,  309,  319, 
363,  note 

James    Ernest,    third    son    of 

James  Arbuthnot  of  Invernettie,  285 

Janet,    daughter    of    Alexander 

Arbuthnot  in  Rora,  247 

Janet,    daughter    of    Alexander 

Arbuthnot,  litster  in  Peterhead,   251 

Janet,  daughter  of  Andrew  Ar- 
buthnot of  Hatton,  248 

Janet    (second    of    the    name). 

daughter  of  Andrew  Arbuthnot  of 
Hatton,  248 

Janet,  daughter  of  John  Arbuth- 
not in  Rora,  91,  152  ;  her  love  of 
genealogy,  91-2,   152-3 

Janet,    daughter    of     Nathaniel 

Arbuthnot  of  Rora,  married  first  to 
John  Dalgarno,  secondly  to  James 
Park,  252 

Janet,  daughter  of  Robert  Ar- 
buthnot of  that  Ilk,  married  first 
to  Alexander  Falconer,  and  secondly 
to  George  Auchinleck,  40 

Janet,  daughter  of  Robert  Ar- 
buthnot of  New  Seat,  275 

■  Janet,  daughter  of  Robert  Ar- 
buthnot of  Whitehill,  280 

Janet    (second   of    the    name), 

daughter  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of 
Whitehill,   280 

Janet,   daughter  of  Sir   Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  wife  of  William 
Rait  of  Halgreen,   68 

Janet,    daughter    of    the    Laird 

of  Netherdulan,  wife  of  James  LesUe, 
H9,  note 

Jean,    daughter    of    Alexander 

Arbuthnot  of  Findowrie,  wife  of 
John,  sixth  Viscount  Arbuthnot,  55, 
76 


Arbuthnot,  Jean,  daughter  of  Alexander 
Arbuthnot  of  Pitcarles,   57 

Jean,  daughter  of  Andrew  Ar- 
buthnot  of   Fiddes,    66 

Jean,  daughter  of  James  Ar- 
buthnot of  West  Rora,  256 

Jean,    daughter    of    Sir    Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk.  married  first 
to  Alexander  Burnett  of  Leys,  secondly 
to  Patrick  Gordon  of  Glenbucket,  and 
thirdly  to  Sir  WiUiara  Douglas  of 
Glenbervie.  67 

—  Jean,  daughter  of  Robert  Ar- 
buthnot of  that  Ilk,  wife  of  James 
Clephane,  53 

Jean,  daughter  of  Robert  Ar- 
buthnot of  CaterUne.  wife  of  George 
Rait  in  Kinghorne,  57 

Jean,  daughter  of  Robert  Arbuth- 
not of  Fiddes,  49 

jEAN.daughterof  Thomas  Arbuth- 
not. "  The  Old  Bailie,"  wife  of  Thomas 
Arbuthnot  of  Keith  Inch.  272,  282 

Jean,      daughter      of     Thomas 

Arbuthnot  of  Keith  Inch,  282 

Jean,      daughter      of     Thomas 

Arbuthnot  of  Innervidit.  274 

Jean,     daughter     of     William 

Arbuthnot  in   Auchterady.    152 

Jean    Marjorie,     daughter    of 

Robert  George  Arbuthnot,  wife  of 
Arthur  Frederick  Dudgeon,  317 

Joan,     daughter    of    the     Rev. 

Alexander  Arbuthnot,   154 

■  Joan,  daughter  of  Crofton  Arbuth- 
not. 288 

John,  of  Ballany.  Co.  Down,  176, 

note 

John,    first    Laird   of   Cairngall, 

eldest  son  of  James  Arbuthnot  of 
Lentusche,  87,  90.  97.  105.  106,  107, 
108,  109,  no,  HI,  112,  114.  H7, 
121-124,   128,   144,   145 

John,  second  Laird  of  Cairngall, 

no,  113,  124,  131-3  ;  his  wife, 
Margaret  Forbes,   131 

John,   third   Laird  of  Cairngall, 

131,  132.  133-4  ;  fiis  first  wife. 
Catherine  Urquhart.  134  ;  his  second 
wife,  Anna  Farquharson,  ib. 

John,  of  Caterline,  eldest  son  of 

Simon  Arbuthnot  of  Caterline,  67  ; 
his  wife.  Magdalen  Garden,  ib. 

John,   of  Easter  Brichty.  eldest 

son  of  Hugh  Arbuthnot,  85-6  ;  his 
wife,  Janet  Mason,  86 

John,  of  Fiddes,  second  son  of 

Andrew  Arbuthnot  of  Fiddes,  66 ; 
his  wife,  Helen  Bruce,  ib. 

John,  in  Fortree  and  of  Inverugie, 

seventh  son  of  Nathaniel  Arbuthnot 
of  Rora  and  Auchlee,  252 


504 


MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 


Arbuthnot,  John,  of  Mondynes,  second 
son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk, 
53.  59-60 

John,    of    Legasland,     and    in 

Portertown,  eldest  son  of  David 
Arbuthnot,  51,  86-7,   144 

John,  of  New  Seat,   St.   Fergus, 

eldest  son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of 
New  Seat,  275 

John,  in  Ravenshaw,  third  son 

of  John  Arbuthnot  of  Legasland,  88 

John,    of   Rockfleet,    Co.   Mayo, 

only  son  of  George  Arbuthnot  of 
Queen  Anne's  Guard,  170-8;  his 
first  wife,  Sally  Margaret  Cecil,  171, 
177  ;  his  second  wife,  Ursula  Fitz- 
gerald, 171,  177  ;  his  third  wife,  Anne 
Stone,  175,  note,  177,  182  ;  his  fourth 
wife,  Helen  O'Halloran,  177;  his 
fifth  wife,  Anne  EHzabeth  Heard,  ib. 

John,    in    Rora,   second   son    of 

Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Scotsmill,  134, 
147,  148,  150-1  ;  his  wife,  Margaret 
Robertson,  151 

John,    in    Rora    (unidentified), 

147,  246,  note 

John,  of  Whitehill  and  Toddle- 
hills,  eldest  son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot 
of  Whitehill,  2S0  ;  his  first  wife, 
Barbara  Macranald,  ib.  ;  his  second 
wife,   J.  Dunbar,  ib. 

John,  Notary  Pubhc  at  Peter- 
head, son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of 
Rora,  146-7  ;  his  wife,  Steven- 
son,  147 

Dr.   John,   Physician   to   Queen 

Anne,  eldest  son  of  the  Rev.  Alex- 
ander Arbuthnot,  154  ;  baptized 
at  Arbuthnott  Church,  155  ;  edu- 
cated at  Marischal  College,  Aber- 
deen, ib.  ;  proceeds  to  London  on 
his  father's  death,  ib.  ;  takes  his 
degree  at  St.  Andrews,  ib.  ;  becomes 
known  as  a  writer,  ib.  ;  called  to 
attend  Prince  George  of  Denmark 
at  Epsom  in  1705,  ib.  ;  is  appointed 
Physician  Extraordinary  to  Queen 
Anne,  ib.  ;  becomes  Physician-in- 
Ordinary,  ib.  ;  acquires  a  considerable 
influence  at  Court,  156;  sketch  of 
intrigues  then  being  carried  on  against 
the  Marlborough  Administration,  ib.  ; 
Harley's  underhand  proceedings,  ib.  ; 
overthrow  of  the  Marlborough  fac- 
tion, ib.  ;  Dr.  Arbuthnot's  friendship 
for  Harley,  157 ;  said  to  have  as- 
sisted in  overturning  Marlborough, 
ib.  :  appears  to  have  disapproved  of 
Abigail  Masham's  quarrel  with  Har- 
ley, ib.  ;  was  probably  not  an  extreme 
Jacobite,  ib.  ;  Lord  Chesterfield's 
remark  on  him,  ib. ;   signs  his  name 


"  John  Arbuthnott,"  158  ;  appears 
never  to  have  matriculated  his  arms, 
ib.  ;  his  prospects  injured  by  Queen 
Anne's  death,  ib.  ;  his  Uterary  friends. 
Pope,  Swift  and  Gay,  ib.  ;  his  inven- 
tion of  the  character  of  "  John  Bull," 
ib.  ;  his  reference  to  his  coat  of  arras 
and  his  intention  to  change  the 
crest,  ib.  ;  sutlers  from  asthma,  159  ; 
his  farewell  letter  to  Swift,  ib.  ;  his 
History  of  John  Bull,  158,  note  ; 
his  death  at  Hampstead,  160  ;  buried 
at  St.  James',  Piccadilly,  ib.  ;  sug- 
gestion as  to  his  wife's  maiden  name, 
ib.,  note 

John,    Chevalier   de    St.    Louis, 

eldest  son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of 
Rouen,  167 

John,  of   the  Co.  of  Scott  and 

Arbuthnot  of  Peterhead,  fifth  son  of 
James  Arbuthnot,  "  the  Young 
BaiUe,"  274 

John,   Governor  of  North  'Var- 

mouth,  son  of  Admiral  Marriott 
Arbuthnot,  Appendix  V,  444 

John,    eldest  son   of  Alexander 

Arbuthnot,  Bishop  of  Killaloe,  235 

John,  second  son  of  Alexander 

Arbuthnot  in  Pitcarles  and  of  Auch- 
terforfar,  56 

John,    fifth    son    of    Alexander 

Arbuthnot,   second  in   Rora,   247 

John,   second  son  of  Alexander 

Arbuthnot,  printer  in  Edinburgh,  89 

John,     eldest    son    of    Andrew 

Arbuthnot  of  Hatton,  247 

John,    fourth    son    of    Crofton 

Arbuthnot,  288 

John,  third  son  of  David  Arbuth- 
not of  Auchterforfar,  57 

John,  son  of  George  Arbuthnot 

in  Barnehill,  42 

John,     fourth    son     of    James 

Arbuthnot  of  Middleton  of  Rora,  255 

John,  eldest  son  of  John  Arbuth- 
not, third  Laird  of  Cairngall,   134 

■ ■    John     (second    of    the    name), 

third  son  of  John  Arbuthnot,  third 
Laird  of  Cairngall,   134 

John  (third  of  the  name),  sixth 

son  of  John  Arbuthnot,  third  Laird 
of  Cairngall,    134 

John,    son    of   John    Arbuthnot 

of  Caterline,  67 

John,    son   of   John   Arbuthnot 

in  Rora,   152 

John     (second    of    the    name), 

fifth  son  of  John  Arbuthnot  in  Rora, 
152 

John  (third  of  the  name),  sixth 

son  of  John  Arbuthnot  in  Rora, 
152 


INDEX 


505 


Arbuthnot,  John,  eldest  son  of  John 
Arbuthnot  of  Rockfleet,   178 

John,  second  son  of  John  Arbuth- 
not in  Ravenshaw,  SS 

John,  second  son  of  John  Arbuth- 
not of  Whitehill,  280 

John,  son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot 

in  Banff,  37 

John,    second    son    of    Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  Little  Fiddes,  44,  48 

John,    second    son    of    Robert 

Arbuthnot,  first  of  Haddo-Rattray, 
2S9 

Captain    John,    second   son    of 

Robert  Arbuthnot,  second  of  Haddo- 
Rattray,  297 

John,    third    son    of    Thomas 

Arbuthnot  of  Innervidie  and  Nether 
Kinmundy,  273 

John,    second    son    of    Thomas 

Arbuthnot  of  Keith  Inch,  2S2 

John,    second    son    of    WiUiam 

Arbuthnot  of  Dens.  286 

John,  son  of  WilUam  Arbuthnot 

of  Invernettie,   150 

John  Alves,   second  son  of  Sir 

Wilham  Arbuthnot.  first  Baronet.  309. 
310.  367,  381  ;  his  wife,  Mary  Arbuth- 
not, 310,  367,  381 

John  Alves  Henry,  fourth  son 

of  Sir  Robert  Keith  Arbuthnot. 
second  Baronet,  322 

Major    John    Bernard,    eldest 

son  of  Colonel  George  Arbuthnot  of 
Norton  Court,  311  ;  his  wife,  OUve 
Blake,  ib. 

John  de  Monte,  fourth  son   of 

George  Arbuthnot,  first  of  Eldershe, 
381  ;    his  wife,  Elizabeth  Murray,  ib. 

John    George,    second    son    of 

George  Arbuthnot  of  Invernettie. 
284 

John    Henry,    second    son    of 

Major  Robert  John  Wastel  Arbuthnot- 
Brisco.  240 

John  Sinclair  Wemyss.  eldest 

son  of  Major  Kenneth  Wyndham 
Arbuthnot.  386 

Joyce    Frances,    daughter    of 

Keith  Eraser  Arbuthnot,  383 

Josephine,      daughter     of     St. 

George  Arbuthnot,  287 

Julia    Mary    Agnes,    daughter 

of   Henry   Fitzgerald   Arbuthnot,   321 

Katharine,  daughter  of  Alex- 
ander Arbuthnot  in  Pitcarles.  wife  of 
James  Thomson  of  Arduthie.   57 

Katharine,  daughter  of  the  Rev. 

Alexander  Arbuthnot,   154 

Katharine,  daughter  of  Andrew 

Arbuthnot  in  Pitcarles,  wife  of  Alex- 
ander Arbuthnot,  42 


Arbuthnot,  Katharine,  daughter  of 
David  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  wife 
of  Alexander  Graham,  38 

Katharine,  daughter  of  George 

Arbuthnot,  42 

Katharine,    daughter   of    John 

Arbuthnot  of  Easter  Brichty,  wife  of 
Gorthie  of  that  Ilk,  86 

Katharine,    daughter   of    John 

Arbuthnot  of  Whitehill,  281 

Katharine,  daughter  of  Nathaniel 

Arbuthnot  of  Hatton.  249,  nole 

Katharine,  daughter  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  55 

Katharine  Isobel,  daughter  of 

William  Reierson  Arbuthnot,  wife  of 
Hugh  Mackay  Matheson,  387 

Katharine    Rose,    daughter   of 

Henry  Fitzgerald  Arbuthnot,  321 

Keith    Eraser,    third    son    of 

William  Reierson  Arbuthnot.  383  ; 
his  wife.  Mabel  Constance  Elizabeth 
Robertson,  ib. 

Major  Kenneth  Windham,  sixth 

son  of  William  Reierson  Arbuthnot, 
384-5  ;  his  wife,  Janet  Elspeth 
Wemyss,  385 

Lancelot  Bingham,  eldest  son 

of  Major-General  George  Alexander 
Arbuthnot,  238 

Laura    Calvert,    daughter    of 

George  Arbuthnot,  first  of  Elderslie, 
wife  of  Sir  William  Lenox-Conyng- 
ham,  382 

Leigh,    eldest    son    of    William 

Thomas  Arbuthnot,  2S7 

Major  Lenox-Conyngham,  fifth 

son  of  George  Arbuthnot,  second  of 
Elderslie,  422 

— Leta  Mai,  daughter  of  Edward 

Ogilvy  Arbuthnot.  285 

Lionel    Gough.    eldest    ron    of 

Hugh  Gough  Arbuthnot,  315;  his 
wife,  Violet  Morris,  16. 

Louisa  Fitzgerald  L'Estrange, 

daughter  of  James  Edward  Arbuth- 
not, 320 

Mabel,     daughter    of    General 

Charles  George  Arbuthnot,  233 

Mabel,    daughter   of    Fitzjames 

Arbuthnot,   287 

Macduff,  second  son  of  James 

Arbuthnot  of  Natal,  287  ;  his  wife, 
Jane  Bruce,  ib. 

Madeline  Charly,  daughter  of 

Arthur  Arbuthnot  of  Woodford,  234 

— — ■ —  Madeline  Ivy,  daughter  of 
Henry  Fitzgerald  Arbuthnot,   321 

Major    Malcolm    Alexander, 

eighth  son  of  William  Reierson  Ar- 
buthnot, 386 ;  his  wife,  Florence 
Jessie  Boileau,  t6. 


506 


MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 


Arbuthnot.  Marcia.  daughter  of  General 
Charles  George  Arbuthnot,  233 

Marcia,     daughter     of     Henry 

Arbuthnot,  232 

Marcia      Emma      Georgiana, 

daughter  of  the  Right  Hon.  Charles 
Arbuthnot,  wife  of  William,  third 
Marquis  of  Cholmondeley,   232 

Marcia   Hyacinth,  daughter  of 

Arthur  Arbuthnot  of  Woodford,   234 

Margaret,  heiress  of  Findowrie, 

daughter  of  Alexander  Arbuthnot  of 
Findowrie,  wife  of  James  Carnegy  of 
Balnaraoon,  54 

Margaret,  daughter  of  Alex- 
ander Arbuthnot  of  Pitcarles,  wife 
of  David  Guthrie.  57 

Margaret,  daughter  of  Andrew 

Arbuthnot  of  Hatton,  wife  of  Dr. 
Thomas   Arbuthnot,    24S,    275 

Margaret,   daughter   of   George 

Arbuthnot  in  Barnehill,  42 

Margaret,    daughter    of    Hugh 

de  Arbuthnot,  wife  of  Andrew  Men- 
zies,  36-7 

Margaret,   daughter   of   James 

Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche,   117,    119 

Margaret,    daughter    of    James 

Arbuthnot  of  West  Kora,  256 

Margaret  (second  of  the  name), 

daughter  of  James  Arbuthnot  of 
West  Rora,  wife  of  Captain  Thomas 
Arbuthnot,  256,  271 

Margaret,    daughter   of    James 

Arbuthnot,  "  the  Young  Bailie,"  274 

Margaret,    supposed    daughter 

of  John  Arbuthnot,  first  Laird  of 
Cairngall,  117,  124,  125,  126;  Ap- 
pendix III 

Margaret,    daughter    of    John 

Arbuthnot.  second  Laird  of  Cairngall, 
132 

Margaret,    daughter    of    John 

Arbuthnot  of  Easter  Brichty,  married 
first  to  Alexander  Balbirnie,  and 
secondly  to  John  Ogilvy,   86 

■ Margaret,    daughter    of    John 

Arbuthnot  of  Rockfleet,  wife  of 
George  Vesey,   179 

■ Margaret,  daughter  of  Dr.  John 

Arbuthnot,   161 

Margaret,   natural  daughter  of 

John  Arbuthnot,  67 

Margaret,  daughter  of  Nathaniel 

Arbuthnot  of  Hatton,  wife  of  William 
Simpson,  249 

Margaret,  daughter  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  wife  of  David 
Ogilvy  of  Persie,   55 

Margaret,  daughter  of  Sir  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  wife  of  Sir 
Alexander  Carnegy  of  Pitarrow,  67 


Arbuthnot,  Margaret,  daughter  of 
Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Fiddes,  married 
first  to  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Caterhne, 
and  secondly  to  Sir  George  Ogilvy 
of  Barras,  49,  57.   153 

Margaret,   daughter  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  New  Seat,   275 

Margaret,  daughter  of  Thomas 

Arbuthnot,  "  the  Old  Baihe,"  wife  of 
Bishop  Kilgour,  273 

— Margaret,  daughter  of  Captain 

Thomas  Arbuthnot,  272 

Margaret,  daughter  of  William 

Arbuthnot  in  Auchterady,  wife  of 
John  Moir  in  Kirktoun  of  Longside, 
and  grandmother  of  John  Moir  the 
genealogist,   151-2 

— Margaret,  daughter  of  William 

Arbuthnot  of  Dens,  wife  of  William 
Alexander  of  Spring  Hill  and  White- 
hill,   286 

Margaret,  daughter  of  William 

Arbuthnot  of  Invernettie,   150 

Margaret   (or   Marjorie),  wife 

of  Sir  William  Monypenny,  see  Aber- 
bothenoth,  Margaret  de 

Margaret  Georgiana,  daughter 

of  General  Sir  Charles  George  Arbuth- 
not,  K.C.B.,  237 

Margaret   Sarah,   daughter   of 

Alexander  Arbuthnot,  Bishop  of 
Killaloe,  237 

Marion,    daughter    of    George 

Arbuthnot   of  the   Bengal   Civil  Ser- 

Marion     Fenn,     daughter     of 

James  Woodgate  Arbuthnot  of 
Elderslie,  wife  of  Walter  Prideaux, 
421 

Mariota,    daughter    of    Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  wife  of  James 
Bisset  of  Easter   Kinneft,   40 

— Marjorie,    daughter    of    James 

Arbuthnot  of  Arbeikie,  61 
— Marjorie,    daughter    of    James 

Arbuthnot     of     Lentusche,     wife     of 

John  Mar,  120 
Marjorie,  daughter  of  Nathaniel 

Arbuthnot  of  Hatton,  249 

Marjorie,    daughter   of   Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  Fiddes,  49 

Marjorie,    daughter   of   Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  Findowrie,  wife  of 
Francis  Farquharson  of  Finzean,  54, 
135 

■ Admiral    Marriott,    57,    note, 

174,  233;    Appendix  V 

Mary,     daughter     of     Andrew 

Arbuthnot  of  Hatton,  24S 

Mary,  daughter  of  David  Arbuth- 
not of  Auchterforfar,  wife  of  Robert 
Arbuthnot  of  Fiddes,  48,  57 


INDEX 


SOT 


Arbuthnot,  Mary,  daughter  of  George 
Arbuthnot,  first  o£  Elderslie,  wife  of 
John  Alves  Arbuthnot,  310,  357-8, 
367.  381 

Mary,  daughter  of  James  Arbuth- 
not of  West  Rora,  wife  of  John  Moir 
of  Kirktoun  of  Longside,  and  mother 
of  John  Moir,  the  genealogist,  255 

■  Mary,  daughter  of  James  Arbuth- 
not, "  the  Young  Bailie,"  wife  of 
William  Scott,  274 

Mary,    said    to    have    been    the 

daughter  of  John  Arbuthnot,  of 
Cairngall,  and  wife  of  Robert  Arbuth- 
not of  Whitehill,  279  ;  doubts  as  to 
her  existence,  j6.,  note 

Mary,  daughter  of  John  Arbuth- 
not in  Rora,   152 

Mary,   daughter  of  John  Alves 

Arbuthnot,  312 

— — —  Mary,  daughter  of  Nathaniel 
Arbuthnot  of  Hatton,  249 

Mary,      daughter     of     Robert 

Arbuthnot,  first  of  Haddo-Rattray, 
wife  of  William  Fraser,  289 

Mary,  daughter  of  Robert  Arbuth- 
not, second  of  Haddo-Rattray,  298 

Mary,      daughter      of      Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  Whitehill,   149,  280 

Mary,     daughter     of     Thomas 

Arbuthnot  of  Innervidie  and  Nether 
Kinmundy,  274 

Mary,     daughter      of      Thomas 

Arbuthnot  of  Keith  Inch,  wife  of 
Alexander  Leslie,  282 

•     Mary,     daughter     of     Thomas 

Arbuthnot,   "  the  Old  Bailie,"  273 

Mary,   daughter  of  Sir  William 

Arbuthnot,  first  Baronet,  310 

■ Mary,     daughter     of     William 

Arbuthnot  of  Dens,  wife  of  Alexander 
Nicoll,  2S6 

Mary,     daughter     of     William 

Arbuthnot,  53 

Mary   Charlotte,    daughter   of 

William  Urquhart  Arbuthnot,  wife  of 
Arthur  Brandreth,  319 

Mary  Christabel,   daughter  of 

Colonel  George  Arbuthnot  of  Norton 
Court,  312 

Mary    Eleanor,    daughter    of 

William   Reierson  Arbuthnot,   386 

Mary  Evelyn,  daughter  of  Philip 

Stewart-Mackenzie  Arbuthnot,  383 

Mary  Hay,  daughter  of  George 

Clerk  Arbuthnot,   314 

Mary     Helena,     daughter     of 

William  Robert  Arbuthnot,  wife  of 
Ernest  P.   PuUan,   284 

Mary   Juliet  Gough,   daughter 

of  Captain  Robert  Wemj'ss  Muir 
Arbuthnot,  317 


Arbuthnot, Mary  Marguerite,  daughter 
of  Geoffrey  Schomberg  Arbuthnot, 
313 

Mary  Reeve,  daughter  of  General 

Sir  Charles  George  Arbuthnot,  K.C.B., 
237 

Mary  Rose,  daughter  of  James 

Edward  Arbuthnot,   319 

Mary  Sybil,  daughter  of  Herbert 

Robinson  Arbuthnot,  wife  of  Archibald 
McNeile,  422 

Matilda,    daughter    of    George 

Arbuthnot  of  the  Bengal  Civil  Service, 
wife  of  Sir  John  Lister-Kaye,  second 
Baronet,   180 

Maurice  Armitage,  second  son 

of  James  Woodgate  Arbuthnot  of 
Elderslie,  421  ;  his  wife,  Madeline 
Bosanquet,  ib. 

Maurice    Grahame,    eldest   son 

of  St.  George  Ray  Arbuthnot,  287 

— ■ —   Maynard,   eldest  son   of  Edgar 

Arbuthnot,  287 
Mildred    Cecile,    daughter    of 

St.  George  Ray  Arbuthnot,  287 
Muriel,     daughter     of    Arthur 

Arbuthnot  of  Woodford,  234 
• Myles    Henry,    fourth    son    of 

Major  John  Bernard  Arbuthnot,  311 

Nathaniel,    of    Hatton,    fourth 

son  of  Andrew  Arbuthnot  of  Hatton, 
24S  ;    his  wife,  Eliza  Fraser,  ib. 

Nathaniel,  of  Rora  and  Auchlee, 

eldest  son  of  Alexander  Arbuthnot, 
second  in  Rora,  247,  249-50  ;  his 
wife,  Elspet  Duncan,  250 

Nathaniel,  second  son  of  Andrew 

Arbuthnot  of  Broadlands,  249 

Nathaniel,  second  son  of  James 

Arbuthnot  of  West  Rora,  255 

Nathaniel,      fourth      son      of 

Nathaniel  Arbuthnot  of  Hatton,   248 

Nathaniel  (second  of  the  name), 

fifth  son  of  Nathaniel  Arbuthnot  of 
Hatton,  248 

Nathaniel,  third  son  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  New  Seat,   275 

— Nathaniel,  third  son  of  Thomas 

Arbuthnot,   "  the  Old  Bailie,"  272 

Rev.      Nicholas,     brother     of 

Richard  Arbuthnot  of  Killala,  176, 
note 

Nicola,  daughter  of  John  Arbuth- 
not, second  Laird  of  Cairngall,  wife 
of  Thomas  Forbes,   133 

Nicola,     daughter    of    Thomas 

Arbuthnot  of  Innervidie  and  Nether 
Kinmundy,  wife  of  Robert  Arbuthnot 
of  Mountpleasant,   273,   283 

■ Nicola,     daughter    of    William 

Arbuthnot  of  Dens,  wife  ol  John 
Ross  of  Arnage,  2S6 


508 


MEMORIES    OF   THE   ARBUTHNOTS 


Arbuthnot,  Nicola  Buchan,  daughter  of 
St.  George  Arbuthnot,  wife  of  Tyrone 
Tatham,  287 

Nigel,   second   son   of   RlacduS 

Arbuthnot,  2S7 

Norman,  son  of  James  Arbuth- 
not of  Lentusche,  114,  117,  118 

Norman  George,   eldest  son  of 

James  Arbuthnot  of  Invernettie,  285 

Olive  Joan,  daughter  of  Captain 

William  Patrick  Arbuthnot,  316 

Oliver  Cromwell,  third  son  of 

William  Thomas  Arbuthnot,  2S7 

Olivia,  daughter  of  Fitzwilliam 

Arbuthnot,  287 

Patricia     Evangeline     Anne, 

daughter  of  Major  John  Bernard 
Arbuthnot,  311 

Patricia  Gwynne,  daughter  of 

Captain  WilUam  Patrick  Arbuthnot, 
316 

Patrick,    of    Magdalen    Chapel, 

fourth  son  of  Andrew  Arbuthnot  of 
that  Ilk,  61 

Patrick,   second   son   of   James 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  50 

Patrick,    sixth   son   of   Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  Fiddes,  49 

Dr.  Patrick,  physician  to  James 

V  of  Scotland,  natural  son  of  Robert 
Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  40-1 

Patrick    Charles,    second    son 

of  Captain  Archibald  Hugh  Arbuth- 
not, 316 

Percy   Bingham,    third   son   of 

Major-General  George  Alexander  Ar- 
buthnot, 238 

Peter,    fourth    son    of    Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  Fiddes,  48 

Peter  Charles  Reginald,  son 

of  Lieut. -Commander  Geoffrey  Schom- 
berg  Arbuthnot,  313 

Philip      Stewart  -  Mackenzie, 

eldest  surviving  son  of  William  Reier- 
son  Arbuthnot,  383  ;  his  wife,  Ada 
Jane  Evelyn,  ib. 

Phcebe  Janet,  daughter  of  General 

Sir  Charles  George  Arbuthnot,  K.C.B., 
wife  of  David  Crombie,  237 

Phcebe     Sarah,     daughter     of 

General  Sir  Robert  Arbuthnot,  K.C.B., 
wife  of  the  Rev.  Henry  Feilden,  239 

Phyllis,    daughter    of   Macduff 

Arbuthnot,  287 

• Reginald    James    Hugh,    third 

son  of  WilUam  Urquhart  Arbuthnot, 
319 

Captain     Reginald     Ramsay, 

third  son  of  Sir  Wilham  Wedderburn 
Arbuthnot,  third  Baronet,  322 

Richard,  of  Killala  (unidentified), 

176,  note 


Arbuthnot,  Robert,  of  that  Ilk,  son  of 
Hugh  de  Arbuthnot,  37 ;  his  wife, 
Giles  Ogilvy,  ib. 

Robert,  of  that  Ilk,  eldest  son 

of  David  Arbuthnot,  27,  28,  38-40  ; 
his  first  wife,  Margaret  Wishart,  39  ; 
his  second  wife,  Mariota  Scrymgeour, 
ib. 

Robert,  of  that  Ilk,  eldest  son  of 

James  Arbuthnot,  50 — 6,  89,  95  ;  his 
first  wife,  Katherine  Erskine,  52  ;  his 
second  wife.  Christian  Keith,  ib.  ;  his 
third  wife,  Helen  Clephane,  54,  89,  95 

Sir  Robert,  of  that  Ilk,  eldest 

son  of  Andrew  Arbuthnot,  60,  61-3  ; 
his  wife,  Mary  Keith,  63 

Sir  Robert,  of  that  Ilk,  eldest 

son  of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Arrat, 
6r,  63-4  ;  his  first  wife.  Lady  Margaret 
Keith,  64  ;  his  second  wife,  Margaret 
Fraser,  ib. 

Robert,  in  Banff,   third  son  of 

Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  37  ; 
his  wife,  Lychtoun,   ib. 

Robert,  in  Barnehill,  42 

Robert,  of  Caterline,  eldest  son 

of  David  Arbuthnot  of  Auchterforfar, 
49.  57  ;  liis  wife,  Margaret  Arbuthnot, 
49,  57.   153 

Mr.  Robert,  eldest  son  of  the 

preceding,  57,  Appendi.x  V  444 

Robert,    of    Fiddes,    eldest   son 

of  Andrew  Arbuthnot  in  Pitcarles, 
41,  42,  48,  88  ;  his  wife,  Isabel  Bur- 
nett, 48 

Robert,  of  Fiddes,  eldest  son  of 

Andrew  Arbuthnot  of  Fiddes,  48  ; 
his  first  wife,  Margaret  Barclay,  48  ; 
his  second  wife,  Jean  Burnett,  ib. 

Robert,    of    Findowrie,    son   of 

David  Arbuthnot  of  Findowrie,  54 ; 
his   wife,   Margaret   Grahame,   ib. 

Robert,    of   Findowrie,    son    of 

the  preceding,  54  ;  his  wife,  EUzabeth 
Rait,  ib. 

Robert,  first  of  Haddo-Rattray, 

eldest  son  of  John  Arbuthnot  of 
Whitehill,  280,  288-9  ;  his  wife,  Mary 
Petrie,  289 

Robert,  second  of  Haddo- 
Rattray,  eldest  surviving  son  of  the 
preceding,  283,  289-295,331,341,350, 
354,  361  ;  his  wife,  Mary  Urquhart, 
291,  295 

Robert,  of  Mountpleasant,  fourth 

son  of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Dens, 
273,  283  ;  his  wife,  Nicola  Arbuthnot, 
273.  283 

Robert,  of  New  Seat,  St.  Fergus, 

third  son  of  Alexander  Arbuthnot  in 
Rora,  247,  274,  279,  note  ;  his  wife, 
Elizabeth  Duncan,  274 


INDEX 


509 


Arbuthnot,  Robert,  banker  of  Rouen 
and  Paris,  second  son  of  the  Rev. 
Alexander  Arbuthnot,  154,  161-167  ; 
his  first  wife  (name  unknown),  165  ; 
his  second  wife,  Elizabeth  Duke,  166-7 

Robert,  in  Rora,  second  son  of 

John  Arbuthnot  of  Legasland,  S7-8, 
94.  95.  99,  109.  115.  I43-4,  145.  146 

Robert,  of  Scotsraill  and  Inglis- 

mill,  66,  92,  125,  147-150,  279;  his 
wife,  Beatrix  Gordon,   125,   149 

Robert,    of    Whitehill,     fourth 

son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Scots- 
mill,   150,  279,  and  note 

Robert,  Auditor  of  the  Ex- 
chequer in  Scotland  (unidentified), 
166,  note  ;  his  wife,  EUzabeth  Carnegy, 
ib. 

Rev.  Robert,  minister  of  Crich- 

ton  and  Cranstoun,  57,  note ;  Ap- 
pendix V 

Robert,  fifth  son  of  Alexander 

Arbuthnot  in  Pitcarles  and  of  Auch- 
terforfar,  56 

Robert,    eldest   son   of   George 

Arbuthnot,  first  of  EldersUe,  381 

Captain  Robert,  eldest  son  of 

James  Arbuthnot  of  Arbeikie,  61 

Robert,    second    son    of    John 

Arbuthnot  of  Mondynes,  53  ;  his  wife, 
Margaret  Symmer,  ib. 

Robert,    fourth    son    of    John 

Arbuthnot  in  Ravenshaw,  88 

General   Sir   Robert,    K.C.B., 

fifth  son  of  John  Arbuthnot  of  Rock- 
fleet,  178,  238-9;  his  first  wife, 
Susan  Vesey,  239  ;  his  second  wife, 
Harriet  Smith,  ib. 

Robert,    second    son    of    John 

Arbuthnot  in  Rora,  152  ;  his  wife, 
Jean  Sempill,  ib. 

Robert,  fourth  son  of  Nathaniel 

Arbuthnot  of  Rora  and  Auchlee,  252 

Mr.  Robert,  third  son  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,   40,   51 

Mr.     Robert,     fourth    son    of 

Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  43, 
53.  60 

Robert,   fourth  son   of   Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  Fiddes,  49 

Robert,    eldest   son   of   Robert 

Arbuthnot,  second  of  Haddo-Rattray, 
263,  295-7,  332.  333.  346,  347-  352. 
355.  363-4 

Robert,    eldest   son   of   Robert 

Arbuthnot   of  Mountpleasant,    283 

Robert,   second  son   of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  Whitehill,  280 

Robert,    third    son    of    Simon 

Arbuthnot  of  Caterline,  67 

Robert,  son  of  William  Arbuth- 
not of  Invernettie,  150 


Arbuthnot,  Robert  Charles  Edward, 
second  son  of  James  Edward  Arbuth- 
not, 319 

Major    Robert    Christopher, 

eldest  son  of  George  Arbuthnot  of 
the  Treasury,  240  ;  liis  wife,  Frances 
Brisco,  ib. 

Robert     Christopher,     eldest 

son  of  Major  Robert  John  Wastel 
Arbuthnot-Brisco,  240 

Robert     Dalrymple,     son    of 

Brigadier-General  Sir  Dalrymple  Ar- 
buthnot, fifth  Baronet,  328 

— - — •  Robert  Edward  Vaughan, 
eldest  son  of  the  Rev.  Robert  Keith 
Arbuthnot,  321 

Robert  George,  fourth  son  of 

Archibald  Francis  Arbuthnot,  316; 
his  wife,  Helen  Mary  Muir,  16. 

Sir      Robert     Keith,     second 

Baronet,  eldest  son  of  Sir  William 
Arbuthnot,  first  Baronet,  309,  320  ; 
his  wife,  Anne  Fitzgerald,  ib. 

Rear-Admiral     Sir      Robert 

Keith,  fourth  Baronet,  eldest  son  of 
Sir  William  Wedderburn  Arbuthnot, 
third  Baronet,  322,  323-327  ;  his 
wife,  Lina  Macleay,  327 

Rev.     Robert     Keith,     third 

son  of  Sir  Robert  Keith  Arbuthnot, 
second  Baronet,  321  ;  his  wife,  Mary 
Agnes  Vaughan,  ib. 

Robert  Michael  Wemyss,  second 

son  of  Major  Kenneth  Windham 
Arbuthnot,  386 

Captain  Robert  Wemyss  Muir, 

son  of  Robert  George  Arbuthnot, 
317;  his  wife,  Mary  Coghill, 
ib. 

Ronald    George     Urquhart, 

third  son  of  Colonel  George  Arbuthnot 
of  Norton  Court,  311 

Rosalind   Desiree,    only   child 

of  Rear-Admiral  Sir  Robert  Keith 
Arbuthnot,  fourth  Baronet,  327 

Rosalind    Philippa,    daughter 

of  Captain  Maurice  Armitage  Arbuth- 
not, 421 

St.  George,  fifth  son  of   James 

Arbuthnot  of  Natal,  287  ;  his  wife, 
Blanche  Barker,  ib. 

St.  George  Ray,  eldest  son  of 

Fitzjames  Arbuthnot,  287  ;  his  wife, 
Mary  Hugo,  ib. 

Sara,      daughter     of     Andrew 

Arbuthnot  of  Little  Fiddes,  wife  of 
Robert  Stuart  of  Inchbreck,  48 

Sarah,  daughter  of  John  Arbuth- 
not of  Rockfleet,  wife  of  Thomas 
Langley,   179 

Sibella,    daughter    of    George 

Arbuthnot  of  Invernettie,  285 


510 


MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 


Arbuthnot,  Sibella,  daughter  of  James 
Arbuthnot  of  Invernettie;  285 

— •  Sibella  Margaret,  daughter  of 

William  Robert  Arbuthnot,  284 

Sidney    Noel,    second    son    of 

Herbert  Robinson  Arbuthnot,  421 

Simon,   of  Caterline,   fourth  son 

of  Sir  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk, 
57.  65,  note,  67 

Sophia,    daughter   of   Nathaniel 

Arbuthnot   of   Hatton,    wife   of  

Scott,  249 

Stanley,   son  of  Major  Lenox- 

Conyngham  Arbuthnot,  422 

Susan,  daughter  of  James  Ar- 
buthnot of  Natal,  wife  of  Captain 
Davey,  28S 

Susan,     daughter     of     WiUiam 

Arbuthnot  of  Dens,  286 

Susan   Christine,    daughter    of 

George  Arbuthnot  of  the  Treasury,  241 

Susan   Harriette,   daughter  of 

Alexander  Arbuthnot,  Bishop  of 
Killaloe,  237 

Susan   Harriette,  daughter  of 

General  George  Bingham  Arbuthnot, 
238 

Susanna,    daughter    of    David 

Arbuthnot  of  Auchterforfar,  57 

Terence    John,    second   son   of 

Major  John  Bernard  Arbuthnot,  311 

Thelma     Grace,     daughter     of 

Harold  Denison  Arbuthnot,  384 

Thomas,  of  Innervidie  and  Nether 

Kinmundy,  eldest  son  of  James 
Arbuthnot,  "  the  Young  Bailie,"  273 

Thomas,   of   Keith   Inch,   fourth 

son  of  John  Arbuthnot  of  Whitehill, 
272,  281-2,  297,  note  ;  his  wife,  Jean 
Arbuthnot,  272,  282 

Thomas,  of  Meethill  and  Nether 

I"Cinmundj',  second  son  of  Thomas 
Arbuthnot  of  Innervidie,  273 

Thomas,    "  the   Old    BaiUe  "   of 

Peterhead,  eldest  son  of  Nathaniel 
Arbuthnot  of  Rora  and  Auchlee, 
250,  268-271  ;  his  wife.  Christian 
Young,  271 

. General   Sir   Thomas,    K.C.B., 

sixth  son  of  John  Arbuthnot  of 
Rockfleet,   178 

Captain    Thomas,    second    son 

of  Thomas  Arbuthnot,  "  the  Old 
Bailie,"  256,  271  ;  his  wife,  Margaret 
Arbuthnot,  256,  271 

Dr.  Thomas,  second  son  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  New  Seat,  248,  275  ;  his 
wife,  Margaret  Arbuthnot,  24S,  275 

Thomas,    third    son    of    James 

Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche,  100,  114,  145 

Thomas,  eldest  son  of  Alexander 

Arbuthnot,  printer  in  Edinburgh,  89 


Arbuthnot,  Thomas,  second  son  of  James 
Arbuthnot  of  Arbeilde,  61 

Thomas,    eldest    son    of    James 

Arbuthnot  of  Dens,  283 

Thomas,     fifth     son    of     James 

Arbuthnot  of  West  Rora,  255 

Thomas,    seventh   son    of    John 

Arbuthnot,  third  Laird  of  Cairngall, 
134 

Thomas,   fourth  son   of   Robert 

Arbuthnot,  second  of  Haddo-Rattray, 
297 

Thomas,   second  son  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  Mountpleasant,  283 

Thomas    (second   of   the   name), 

fourth  son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of 
Mountpleasant,  284 

Thomas,  son  of  Robert  Arbuth- 
not of  Rora,   145 

— Thomas,   eldest  son  of  Thomas 

Arbuthnot  of  Keith  Inch,  282 

Thomas,   second  son  of  Captain 

Thomas  Arbuthnot,   272 

Thomas   Francis,    third   son   of 

Major  Robert  John  Wastel  Arbuthnot- 
Brisco,  240 

Trent,    second    son    of    Hubert 

Arbuthnot,  287  ;  his  wife,  Theodora 
Kenmure.  ib. 

Ursula    Bridget,    daughter   of 

Andrew  Carmichael  Arbuthnot,   386 

Violet  Mary,  daughter  of  Arthur 

Arbuthnot  of  Woodford,  234 

William,   of  Auchterady,   eldest 

son  of  John  Arbuthnot  in  Rora,  151  ; 
his   wife,   •   Gordon,    ib. 

William,    of   Blakstoun,    eighth 

son  of  Robert  Arbuthnet  of  that  Ilk, 
55.  60 

William,  of  Dens,  third  son  of 

James  Arbuthnot  of  Dens,  283,  286  ; 
his  wife,  Susan  Marshall,  286 

William,  of  Ham  Manor,  Berks, 

eldest  son  of  John  Alves  Arbuthnot, 
310;  his  first  wife,  Adolphine  Lecot, 
ib.  ;  his  second  wife,  Margaret  Camp- 
bell, ib. 

William,    of    Invernettie,    third 

son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Scotsmill, 
148,  150  ;  his  wife.  Christian  Hampton, 
148,   150 

William,  of  Rockvale.  Co.  Down, 

176,  note 

Sir  William,  first  Baronet,  third 

son  of  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  Haddo- 
Rattray,  149,  297,  306-309  ;  his  wife, 
Anne  Alves,  309 

William,  son  of  James  Arbuthnot 

of  Lentusche,  94,   102,   109,   iii,   114 

William   (second  of  the  name)- 

son  of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Lentuscb 
116,   117 


INDEX 


511 


Arbuthnot,  Major-General  William, 
C.B.,  eldest  son  of  Archibald  Francis 
Arbuthnot,  314  ;  his  first  wife,  the 
Hon.  Ahce  Pitt-Rivers,  ib.  ;  his 
second  wife,  SeUna  Moncrieff,  16.  ; 
his  third  wife,  Edith  Pearse,  ib. 

William,  son  of  George  Arbuth- 
not in  Barnehill,  42 

William,    fourth   son   of   Hugh 

Arbuthnot,  83 

Rev.    William,    sixth    son    of 

James  Arbuthnot  of  Invernettic,  144, 
279,  285-6  ;  his  wife,  Juha  Helen 
Stuart,  285-6 

— ■    William,     third    son    of    John 

Arbuthnot  of  Mondynes,  53 

William,     third    son    of    John 

Arbuthnot  in  Ravenshaw,  88 

William,  eldest  son  of  Nathaniel 

Arbuthnot  of  Hatton,  248 

William   (second  of  the  name), 

seventh  son  of  Nathaniel  Arbuthnot 
of  Hatton,  249 

William,    sixth   son    of   Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  37  ;  his  wife, 
Abirkyrdo,   ib. 

William,  son  of  Robert  Arbuth- 
not in  Banff,  37 

William,   third  son  of  William 

Arbuthnot  of  Dens,  2S6 

William,  eldest  son  of  William 

Arbuthnot  of  Rockvale,  Co.  Down, 
1 76,  note  ;  his  wife,  Sarah  McCuUy, 
ib. 

William,  fourth  son  of  William 

Thomas  Arbuthnot,  287 

William,    possibly    ancestor    to 

the  Arbuthnots  of  Co.  Down,  Ireland, 
176,  note 

William     Fitzgerald,     fourth 

son  of  Sir  William  Wedderburn 
Arbuthnot,  third  Baronet,    322-323 

William   Grahame,   second   son 

of  Edgar  Arbuthnot,  287 

William    Henry,    eldest   son    of 

William  Urquhart  Arbuthnot,  318 

William    John,    third    son    of 

Sir  Charles  George  Arbuthnot,  K.C.B., 
237 

William    Osborne,    eldest    son 

of   Fitzwilliam   Arbuthnot,    287 

Major  William  Patrick,  third 

son  of  Major  Archibald  Ernest  Ar- 
buthnot, 316  ;  his  wife,  Ohve  Walker, 
t6. 

William    Reierson,     of    Flaw 

Hatch,  Sussex,  332,  366,  381,  382-3, 
396,  397.  415.  418.  419.  445  ;  his  wife, 
Mary  Helen  Anstruther,  383,  and  note 

William  Reierson,  junior,  fourth 

son  of  the  preceding,  383  ;  his  wife, 
Mabel  Slade,  ib. 


Arbuthnot,  William  Robert,  third  son 
of  George  Arbuthnot  of  Invernettie, 
284  ;  his  first  wife.  Caroline  Elizabeth 
Marshall,  ib.  ;  his  second  wife,  Helena 
Skilbeck,  ib. 

William   Staveley,   eldest   son 

of  James  Edward  Arbuthnot,  319 

William  Thomas,  eldest  son  of 

James  Arbuthnot  of  Natal,  287  ;  his 
wife,  Constance  Leigh,  ib. 

William  Urquhart,  fifth  son  of 

Sir  William  Arbuthnot,  first  Baronet, 

309.  318 
Sir  William  Wedderburn,  third 

Baronet,    279,    note,    296,    320,    322  ; 

his   wife,   Alice   Margaret  Thompson, 

322 

Winifred     Madeline     Louisa 

Ogilvy,  daughter  of  George  Ireland 
Arbuthnot,  wife  of  Captain  Norman 
Noble,  319 

Arbuthnot-Brisco,  Major  Robert  John 
Wastel,  240 ;  his  wife,  Winifrede 
Boursot,  ib. 

George   Alexander,   fourth   son 

of  the  preceding,  240 

Arbuthnot-Leslie,  Aline  Rose,  daughter 
of  George  Arbuthnot-Leslie,  wife  of 
the  Hon.  Charles  F.  M.  Ramsay, 
423 

George,  of  EldersUe,  eldest  son 

of  George  Arbuthnot,  second  of 
EldersUe,  99.  note,  420,  422  ;  his 
wife,  Mary  Rose  Leslie,  422 

Captain  George  Rupert,  second 

son  of  the  preceding,  423 

Violet     Seton,     daughter     of 

George   Arbuthnot-Leslie,   423 

William   Douglas,   of  Warthill, 

Aberdeenshire,  eldest  son  of  George 
Arbuthnot-Leslie,  423 

Arbuthnotts      of      Kincardineshire, 

25-81 
Arbuthnott,  Viscounts,  6S-80 
Arbuthnott  Aisle,  26,  27-S 

Castle,  25,  26 

Church,  26 

Entail  of   1542,   51  ;    of   1587-8, 

59-60 

House,  25,  26 

Arbuthnott,  Lands  of,  their  situation, 

25  ;  they  come  into  the  possession 
of  Hugo  de  Aberbothenoth,  29  ; 
tradition  that  they  were  granted  to 
Sir  Hugh  le  Blond  shown  to  be  er- 
roneous, 32 

Missal,  2S-9 

Hon.     Alexander,     of     Knox. 

second  son  of  Robert,  first  Viscount 
Arbuthnott,  69  ;  his  first  wife,  Mar- 
garet Barclay,  ib.  ;  his  second  wife, 
Jean  Scott,  ib. 


612 


MEMORIES    OF   THE   ARBUTHNOTS 


Arbuthnott,  Alexander,  of  Knox,  eldest 
son  of  the  preceding,  69,  70  ;  his 
wife,  Janet  Rennald,  70 

Hon.  Alexander,  ninth  son  of 

John,  seventh  Viscount  Arbuthnott, 
77 

Hon.  Alexander,  third  son  of 

Robert,  second  Viscount  Arbuthnott, 
see  Maitland 

Alexander,  eldest  son  of  Robert 

Arbuthnott   of   Kirkbraehead,    71 

— ■ Sir  Alexander  Dundas  Young, 

eldest  son  of  Lieut. -Colonel  Robert 
Arbuthnott,  71-2;  his  wife,  Catherine 
Mary  Eustace,  72 

Alexander  George,  third  son  of 

Thomas  Arbuthnott  of  Balglassie,  73 

Hon.  Anna,  daughter  of  Robert, 

first  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  wife  of 
William  Forbes  of  Ludquharn,  69 

Anne,  daughter  of  Donald  Stewart 

Arbuthnott,  79 

Anne,    daughter    of    the    Hon. 

John  Arbuthnott  of  Fordoun,   73 

Anne,  daughter  of  Romeo  Arbuth- 
nott, 70 

Anne,    daughter    of    the-  Hon. 

Thomas  Arbuthnott,   74 

Hon.  Anne,  daughter  of  Robert, 

second  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  wife  of 
John  Hay,   74 

— —  Hon.  Anne,  daughter  of  Robert, 
third  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  wife  of 
Robert  Burnett,  76 

Hon.  Anne  Charlotte,  daughter 

of  John,  eighth  Viscount  Arbuthnott, 
wife  of  Alexander  Cheape,  79 

Archibald,  second  son  of  Alex- 
ander Arbuthnott  of  Knox,  70  ;  his 
wife,  Margaret  Lee,  ib. 

Archibald,     second     son     of 

Archibald  Arbuthnott,  70 

Archibald,   third  son  of  Hugh 

Corsar  Arbuthnott,  78 

Blanche,   daughter  of   Captain 

the  Hon.  Walter  Arbuthnott,  78 

Catherine,     daughter    of    the 

Hon.  Alexander  Arbuthnott  of  Knox, 
wife  of  Charles  Stirling,   70 

Hon.    Catherine,    daughter    of 

John,  seventh  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  77 

Catherine,     daughter     of    the 

Hon.  John  Arbuthnott  of  Fordoun, 
wife  of  James  Moir,  73 

Hon.    Catherine,    daughter    of 

Robert,  second  Viscount  Arbuthnott, 
married  first  to  Robert  Gordon,  and 
secondly  to  David  Riccart,  74 

Major  the  Hon.  Charles  James 

Donald,  sixth  son  of  John,  eighth 
Viscount  Arbuthnott.  79 ;  Siis  vdie, 
Caroline  Paul,  ib. 


Arbuthnott,  Hon.  Charlotte,  daughter 
of  John,  sixth  Viscount  Arbuthnott, 
76 

Hon.       Charlotte       Louisa, 

daughter  of  John,  eighth  Viscount 
Arbuthnott,  80 

Christian,   daughter   of   Romeo 

Arbuthnott,  70 

Hon.   Clementina,   daughter  of 

John,  ninth  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  wife 
of  Alexander  Stuart  of  Inchbreck,  80 

Hon.        Clementina      Maria, 

daughter  of  John,  eighth  Viscount 
Arbuthnott,  wife  of  Colonel  WiUiam 
Campbell  of  Ballochyle,  So 

David,  eleventh  Viscount,  second 

son  of  John,  ninth  Viscount  Arbuth- 
nott, 80 

David,    third   son   of   the   Hon. 

David  Arbuthnott,   78 

David,    eldest    son    of    Donald 

Stewart  Arbuthnott,  79 

Hon.     David,     fourth    son    of 

John,  eighth  Viscount  Arbuthnott, 
78  ;    his  wife,  EUzabeth  Reynolds,  ib. 

Donald    Charles,    fourth    son 

of  Donald  Stewart  Arbuthnott,  79 

Donald    Stewart,    fourth    son 

of  the  Hon.  David  Arbuthnott,  79  ; 
liis  wife,   EUzabeth  Brand,  79 

Hon.  Duncan,  fifth  son  of  John, 

seventh  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  77 

Edith    Gertrude,   daughter   of 

Donald   Stewart  Arbuthnott,   79 

Eliza      Clementina      Marv, 

daughter  of  the  Hon.  David  Arbuth- 
nott, 79 

Elizabeth,     daughter     of    the 

Hon.  Alexander  Arbuthnott  of  Knox, 
70 

Elizabeth,  daughter  of  the  Hon. 

John  Arbuthnott  of  Fordoun,   73 

Hon.    Elizabeth,    daughter    of 

Robert,  second  Viscount  Arbuthnott, 
wife  of  Andrew  Wood,  74 

Elizabeth,   daughter  of  Robert 

Arbuthnott  of  Deptford,   70 

Elizabeth,     daughter     of     the 

Hon.  Thomas  Arbuthnott,  74 

Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Thomas 

Arbuthnott  of  Balglassie,  wife  of 
William  Forbes,  73 

Evander,  eldest  son  of  Archibald 

Arbuthnott,  70 

Hon.    Francis   William,  fourth 

son  of  John,  seventh  Viscount  Arbuth- 
nott, 77 

Hon.    George,    second    son    of 

Robert,  third  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  75 

Hon.      Georgiana       Muriel, 

daughter  of  Walter,  thirteenth  Vis- 
count Ai-buthnott.  81 


INDEX 


518 


Arbuthnott,    Harry,    son    of    Romeo 
Arbuthnott,  70 

Hon.  Helen,  daughter  of  John, 

eighth  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  wife  of 
Frederick  Wedderburn  of  Wedderburn, 
79 

Hon.  Helen,  daughter  of  Robert, 

second  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  married 
first  to  John  Macfarlane,  and  secondly 
to  John  Spottiswoode,  74 

Hon.  Helen,  daughter  of  Robert, 

third   Viscount   Arbuthnott,    76 

Helen,     daughter     of     Robert 

Arbuthnott  of  Kjrkbraehead,  wife  of 
Hugh  Paterson  Rollo,   71 

Hon.   Sir  Hugh,   K.C.B.,  M.P., 

second  son  of  John,  seventh  Viscount 
Arbuthnott,  77 

Hugh,     second    son    of    Hugh 

Corsar  Arbuthnott,  78 

Hon.  Hugh,  third  son  of  John, 

sixth  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  76 

Lieut. -Colonel  the  Hon.  Hugh, 

third  son  of  John,  eighth  Viscount 
Arbuthnott,  78 ;  his  wife,  Susan 
Campbell,  ib. 

Hon.  Hugh,  third  son  of  John, 

ninth  Viscount  Arbuthnott,   80 

Hugh    Corsar,    second    son    of 

Lieut.-Colonel  the  Hon.  Hugh  Arbuth- 
nott, 78  ;  his  wife,  Marianne  Gibson,  ib. 

Hugh     Forbes,     fifth    son    of 

Donald  Stewart  Arbuthnott,  79 

Hugh   Hamilton,   son  of   John 

Campbell  Arbuthnott,  78 

Captain  the  Hon.  Hugh  Robin 

Claud,  third  son  of  Walter,  thirteenth 
Viscount  Arbuthnott,  81 

Isabel,    daughter   of   the    Hon. 

Alexander  Arbuthnott  of  Knox,  70 

Hon.  Isabella  Mary,  daughter 

of  John,  eighth  Viscount  Arbuthnott, 
79 

Hon.  Isobel,  daughter  of  Robert, 

third  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  76 

James,   third   son   of   the   Hon. 

Alexander  Arbuthnott  of  Knox,  70 

Captain  the  Hon.  James,  R.N., 

seventh  son  of  John,  seventh  Viscount 
Arbuthnott,  77 

James,   eldest  son  of  the  Hon. 

John  Arbuthnott  of  Fordoun,  73 

James,  son  of  Romeo  Arbuthnott, 

70 

James,  of  Finnart,  eldest  son  of 

the  Hon.  Thomas  Arbuthnott,  74 

James    Carnegy,    see    Carnegy- 

Arbuthnott 

James   Gordon,   second   son   of 

Donald  Stewart  Arbuthnott,   79 

Hon.   Jane,   daughter  of   John, 

seventh  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  77 


Arbuthnott,  Janet,  daughter  of  the  Hon. 

Alexander  Arbuthnott  of  Knox,   70 
Hon.  Janet,  daughter  of  Robert, 

third   Viscount   Arbuthnott,   76 

Jean,    daughter    of    Alexander 

Arbuthnott  of  Findowrie,  wife  of 
John,  sixth  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  55, 
76 

Jean,    daughter    of    the    Hon. 

Alexander  Arbuthnott  of  Knox,  wife 
of  Samuel  Straton,  70 

Jean,    daughter    of    Alexander 

Arbuthnott  of  Knox,  wife  of  William 
Galloway,  70 

Jean,  daughter  of  Hugh  Corsar 

Arbuthnott,  78 

Jean,    daughter    of    the    Hon. 

John  Arbuthnott  of  Fordoun,  73 

Hon.  Jean,  daughter  of  Robert, 

second  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  74 

Hon.  Jean,  daughter  of  Robert, 

third  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  wife  of 
Captain  Crawford,  75 

Jean,  daughter  of  Romeo  Arbuth- 
nott, 70 

Jean,     daughter     of     Thomas 

Arbuthnott  of  Balglassie,  wife  of 
Alexander  Gordon,  73 

Jeannie,     daughter     of     John 

Campbell  Arbuthnott,  78 

Hon.    Jean    Ogilvy,    daughter 

of  John,  eighth  Viscount  Arbuthnott, 
wife  of  Commander  James  Cheape,  79 

John,     fifth     Viscount,     fourth 

son  of  Robert,  third  Viscount  Arbuth- 
nott, 75,  76  ;  his  wife,  Jean  Morrison, 
76 

John,    sixth    Viscount,     eldest 

surviving  son  of  the  Hon.  John 
Arbuthnott  of  Fordoun,  55,  73,  76  ; 
his  first  wife,  Marjorie  Douglas,  76  ; 
his  second  wife,  Jean  Arbuthnott,  ib. 

— John,  seventh  Viscount,  second 

son  of  the  preceding,  76,  77  ;  his 
wife,   Isabella  Grahame,    77 

John,    eighth    Viscount,    eldest 

son  of  the  preceding,  26,  77  ;  his 
wife,    Margaret    Ogilvy,    77 

John,     ninth     Viscount,     eldest 

son  of  the  preceding,  77,  80  ;  his 
wife.  Lady  Jean  Drummond-Ogilvy,  80 

John,     tenth    Viscount,     eldest 

son  of  the  preceding,  80  ;  his  wife, 
Anna  Allen,  ib. 

John,  eldest  son  of  Hugh  Corsar 

Arbuthnott,  78 

Hon.  John,  of  Fordoun,  second 

son  of  Robert,  second  Viscount  Ar- 
buthnott, 73 ;  his  wife,  Margaret 
Falconer,  ib. 

John,    second    son    of    Robert 

Arbuthnott  of  Kirkbraehead,  71 


33 


514 


MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 


Arbuthnott,  John,  eldest  son  of  Thomas 
Arbuthnott  of  Balglassie,    73 

John   Campbell,   eldest   son   of 

Lieut.-Colonel  the  Hon.  Hugh  Arbuth- 
nott, 78  ;  his  wife,  Jeannie  Hamilton, 
ib. 

Hon.   John   Ogilvy,   Master  of 

Arbuthnott,  eldest  surviving  son  of 
Walter,  thirteenth  Viscount  Arbuth- 
nott, 81  ;   his  wife,  Dorothy  Oxley,  ib. 

John  Pelly,   eldest  son  of  the 

Hon.   David  Arbuthnott,   78 

John    Robert,    eldest    son    of 

Captain  the  Hon.  Walter  Arbuthnott, 
77 

John    Sinclair,    third    son    of 

Donald  Stewart  Arbuthnott.  79 

JosETTE,  daughter  of  Lieut.- 
Colonel  Robert  Arbuthnott,  married 
first  to  Captain  Hughes,  and  secondly 
to  Sir  de  Lacy  Evans,  71 

JosETTE   Eliza   Jane,   daughter 

of  Sir  Alexander  Dundas  Young 
Arbuthnott,  wife  of  Frederick  Wollas- 
ton,   72 

Kathleen  Georgiana,  daughter 

of  Captain  the  Hon.  Walter  Arbuth- 
nott, wife  of  Lieut.-Colonel  Arthur 
Rait  of  Halgreen,  78 

Lindsay    George,    second    son 

of  the  Hon.  David  Arbuthnott,  78  ; 
his  wife,   Gertrude   Nash,   ib. 

Louisa    Curzon,    daughter    of 

the  Hon.  David  Arbuthnott,   79 

Hon.    Mariot,    eighth    son    of 

John,  seventh  Viscount  Arbuthnott, 
77 

Margaret,  daughter  of  the  Hon. 

Alexander  Arbuthnott  of  Knox,  wife 
of  James  Napier,  70 

Marg.\ret,  daughter  of  Alex- 
ander Arbuthnott  of  Knox,   70 

Margaret,  daughter  of  Donald 

Stewart  Arbuthnott,   79 

Hon.    Margaret,    daughter    of 

John,  sixth  Viscount  Arbuthnott, 
wife  of  Sir  Alexander  Dunbar,  76 

Hon.    Margaret,    daughter    of 

John,  eighth  Viscount  Arbuthnott, 
wife  of  W.  J.  Lumsden,  79 

— Hon.    Margaret,    daughter    of 

John,  ninth  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  So 

Margaret,     daughter     of     the 

Hon.  John  Arbuthnott  of  Fordoun,  73 

Hon.    Margaret,    daughter    of 

Robert,  first  Viscount  Arbuthnott, 
wife  of  Sir  John  Forbes  of  Monymusk, 
69 

Hon.    Margaret,    daughter    of 

Robert,  second  Viscount  Arbuthnott, 
wife  of  Sir  Thomas  Burnett,  Bart., 
of  Leys,  72 


Arbuthnott,Hon. Margaret,  daughter  of 
Robert,  third  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  76 

Margaret,   daughter  of  Romeo 

Arbuthnott,  wife  of  Thomas  Wliittier, 
70 

Margaret,  daughter  of  Thomas 

Arbuthnott  of  Balglassie,   73 

Margaret    Frances,    daughter 

of  the  Hon.  David  Arbuthnott,  79 

Margaret     Isabella     Maria, 

daughter  of  Captain  the  Hon.  Walter 
Arbuthnott,  78 

Margaret  Ogilvy,  daughter  of 

John  Campbell  Arbuthnott,   78 

Mary,    daughter    of    the    Hon. 

John  Arbuthnott  of  Fordoun,  wife 
of  John  Douglas  of  Tilwhilly,  73 

— ■ Hon.  Mary,  daughter  of  Robert, 

third   Viscount  Arbuthnott,   76 

Mary,    daughter    of    the    Hon. 

Thomas  Arbuthnott,   74 

Mary     Frances     Clementina, 

daughter  of  Donald  Stewart  Arbuth- 
nott, 79 

— • Hon.  Nora  Gertrude,  daughter 

of  Walter,  thirteenth  Viscount  Arbuth- 
nott, 81 

Patrick,  third  son  of  Alexander 

Arbuthnott  of  Knox,  70 

Robert,    first    Viscount,    eldest 

son  of  Sir  Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that 
Ilk,  26,  64,  68-9  ;  his  first  wife. 
Lady  Marjorie  Carnegy,  69  ;  his 
second  wife,   Katherine  Eraser,  16. 

Robert,  second  Viscount,  eldest 

son  of  the  preceding,  69,  72  ;  his 
first  wife.  Lady  Elizabeth  Keith,  72  ; 
his  second  wife,  Katherine  Gordon,  ib. 

— Robert,    third   Viscount,    eldest 

son  of  the  preceding,  72,  74-5.  90, 
134.  153.  155  ;  his  wife.  Lady  Anne 
Sutherland  Gordon,  74 

— Robert,  fourth  Viscount,  eldest 

son  of  the  preceding,   75,   76 

Hon.  Robert,  Master  of,  eldest 

son  of  John,  sixth  Viscount  Arbuth- 
nott, 76 

Robert,  second  son  of  the  Hon. 

Alexander  Arbuthnott  of  Knox,  69  ; 
his  wife,  Elizabeth  Mallock,   ib. 

Robert,  of  Kirkbraehead,  eldest 

son  of  Alexander  Arbuthnott  of  Knox, 
70  ;    his  wife,  Elizabeth  Riddel,  ib. 

Robert,    fourth    son    of    Hugh 

Corsar  Arbuthnott,  78 

Hon.     Robert,     third    son    of 

John,  seventh  Viscount  Arbuthnott, 

77 

Lieut.-Colonel  Robert,   third 

son  of  Robert  Arbuthnott  of  Kirk- 
braehead, 71  ;  his  wife.  Cordelia 
Murray,  ib. 


INDEX 


515 


Arbutrnott,  Robert,  of  Deptford,  son  of 
Robert  Arbuthnott,  70,  74  ;  his  wife, 
Mary  Arbuthnott.   70.   74 

Captain    Robert,    second    son 

of  the  Hon.  Thomas  Arbuthnott.  74 

Robert    Keith,    son    of    John 

Campbell  Arbuthnott,   78 

Romeo,   third   son   of  Archibald 

Arbuthnott,  70  ;  his  wife.  Christian 
Ramsay,  ib. 

Susannah    Mary,    daughter    of 

John  Campbell  Arbuthnott,   78 

Theresa  Alice   Jean,   daughter 

of  Captain  the  Hon.  Walter  Arbuth- 
nott, 78 

Hon.    Thomas,    fourth    son    of 

Robert,  second  Viscount  Arbuthnott, 
74  ;    his  wife,  Elizabeth  Falconer,  ib. 

Dr.  Thomas,  of  Balglassie,  third 

son  of  the  Hon.  John  Arbuthnott  of 
Fordoun,  73  ;  his  wife,  Margaret 
Forbes,  ib. 

Thomas,  son  of  Romeo  Arbuth- 
nott, 70 

Thomas,     second    son    of     Dr. 

Thomas  Arbuthnott  of  Balglassie,  73 

Hon.  Violet  Anna,  daughter  of 

Walter,  tliirteenth  Viscount  Arbuth- 
nott, 81 

Captain    the    Hon.    Walter, 

second  son  of  John,  eighth  Viscount 
Arbuthnott,  77  ;  his  wife,  Anna 
Maria  Ottley,  ib. 

Walter  Charles  Warner,  thir- 
teenth Viscount,  eldest  surviving  son 
of  the  preceding,  29,  33.  43.  78,  80-1  ; 
his  wife,  Emma  Marion  Hall  Parlby, 
80-1 

William,  twelfth  Viscount,  fourth 

son  of  John,  ninth  Viscount  Arbuth- 
nott. 80 

General   the    Hon.    William, 

sixth  son  of  John,  seventh  Viscount 
Arbuthnott,  77 

Hon.    William,    fifth    son    of 

John,  eighth  Viscount  Arbuthnott, 
79  ;     his   wife,    Barbara   Douglas,   ib. 

Hon.    William,    third    son    of 

Robert,  third  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  75 

Arnold,  Arabella,  wife  of  Charles 
Arbuthnot,   176,  note 

John,    of    Greenan,    Co.    Down, 

176,   note 

Arnot,  Helen,  wife  of  James  Arbuthnot, 
67 

Astlev,  Captain  Alexander,  second 
husband  of  Mary  Christabel  Arbuth- 
not, 312 

Atholl,  John,  second  Earl  of,  50 

John,  third  Earl  of,   113 

AuBiGNY.  EsMB  Stuart,  Count  of,   103, 

104 


AucniNLECK,  David,  husband  of  Cather- 
ine Arbuthnot,  40 

■ George,    of   Over    Kinnimonth, 

second  husband  of  Janet  Arbuthnot, 
40 

Hugh,  of  that  Ilk,  40 

Augustus  Frederick,  Duke  of  Sussex, 
sixth  son  of  George  III,  295,  and 
note,   366 

Autobiography  of  Arthur  Young,  quoted, 
172.  175 

Baillie,  Helen,  310,  note 

Balbirnie,  Alexander,  of  Inverichte, 
first  husband  of  Margaret  Arbuthnot, 
86 

Balfour,  Mary,  wife  of  James  Arbuth- 
not, 273 

Dr.,  273 

Ball,  Anne  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Major 
Archibald  Ernest  Arbuthnot,  316 

Balmakewan,  George,  of  that  Ilk, 
85 

Janet,  wife  of  Hugh  Arbuthnot, 

85 

Banks,  Charles  Edmund,  second  hus- 
band of  Mary  Rose  Arbuthnot,   319 

Millicent  Jane,  second  wife  of 

Major-General  Horton  Brisco,  179, 
note 

Barclay,  Colonel  Harry,  of  Knox,  69 

Margaret,  first  wife  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  Fiddes,  48 

Margaret,    wife    of    the    Hon. 

Alexander  Arbuthnot  of  Knox,  69 

Patrick,  of  GarntuUy,  husband 

of  Elizabeth  Arbuthnot,  38 

Barker,  Archdeacon,  287 

Blanche,    wife    of    St.    George 

Arbuthnot,  287 

Evangeline,    wife    of    Hubert 

Arbuthnot,  287 

Barton,  James,  of  Penwortham  Hall, 
179,  note 

Marion  Millicent,  daughter  of 

the  preceding,    179,   note 

Bassendyne  Bible,  89,  100,  102 
Bassendyne,   Thomas,  printer,   8g,    102 
Beattie,  Dr.  James,  292,  293 
Beauchamp,   Frederick,  sixth  Earl  of, 

31S 
Beauchamp,     Judith,    wife    of    James 

Arbuthnot,   176,  note 
Beech  Avenue  at  Arbuthnott,  26 
Bentinck,  Lord  William,  Governor  of 
Madras,  second  son  of  William,  third 
Duke  of  Portland,  342,  353.  354 
Bertane,  Agnes,  wife  of  Captain  James 

Arbuthnot,   120 
Bibliographical,     Antiquarian     and    Pic- 
turesque Tour  in  France  and  Germany, 
quoted,  265 


516 


MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 


Bingham,  ,  of  Antigua,  235 

George,  235 

Margaret  Phcebe,  second    wife 

of   Alexander   Arbuthnot,    Bishop   of 
Killaloe,  235 

• Susanna,  first  wife  of  Alexander 

Arbuthnot,  Bishop  of  Killaloe,  235 

BisSET,  James,  of  Easter  Kinneff,  hus- 
band of  Mariota  Arbuthnot,  40 

Black,  Elizabeth,  widow  of  Patrick 
Farquharson  of  Invery,  288 

Blackwood,  Captain  the  Hon.  Henry 
(afterwards  Sir  Henry  Blackwood, 
first  Baronet,  and  Admiral  of  the 
Blue),  200,  202,  204 

Blair,  Alexander,  of  Balthayock,  61 

Elizabeth,  wife  of  James  Arbuth- 
not of  Arbeikie,  61 

Neil  Ferguson,  of  Balthayock, 

79 

Blake,  George,  husband  of  Christina 
Arbuthnot,  287 

Sir  Henry,  G.C.M.G.,  311 

Olive,     wife    of    Major     John 

Bernard  Arbuthnot,  311 

Boileau,  General  G.  S.  T.,  3S6 

Florence  Jessie,  wife  of  Major 

Malcolm  Alexander  Arbuthnot,  386 

Bosanquet,  Sir  F.  A.,  421 

Madeline,     wife     of     Captain 

Maurice  Armitage  Arbuthnot,  421 

Boscawen,  Hon.  and  Rev.  John  Evelyn, 

365,  note,  471 
BouRSOT,  A.,  240 

VVinifrede     Teresa,     wife    of 

Major  Robert  John  Wastel  Arbuthnot- 
Brisco,  240 

Boyle,  Isabella  Albinia,  wife  of  Sir 
George  Gough  Arbuthnot,  318 

THE  Hon.  and  Rev.  Richard,  318 

Brachan  Castle.  373-4 

Brand,  Anne  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Donald 
Stewart  Arbuthnott,  79 

James,  79 

Brandreth,  Arthur,  Judge  of  the 
Chief  Court  of  the  Punjaub,  husband 
of  Mary  Charlotte  Arbuthnot,  319 

Brichta,  Captain  Stephen,  husband  of 
Frances  Muriel  Arbuthnot,   312 

Brisco,  Annabella,  daughter  of  Major- 
General  Horton  Brisco,   179,  note 

Elizabeth,   daughter  of  Major- 

General  Horton  Brisco,   179,  note 

Elizabeth    Millicent,    wife   of 

George    Arbuthnot    of    the    Bengal 
Civil  Service,  179,  and  note 

Frances,  ^vife  of  Major  Robert 

Christopher  Arbuthnot,  240 

Major-General   Horton,    179, 

and  note 

Lieut.-Colonel  Horton  Coote, 

179.  note 


Brisco,    Sir    John,    first    Baronet,    of 

Crofton,  179 

Maria,  wife  of  James  Barton  of 

Penwortham  Hall,   179,  note 

Maria,  daughter  of  Lieut.-Colonel 

Horton  Coote  Brisco,   179,  note 

Wastel,    of    Southcote   Manor, 

Berks,  240 

Broadlands,  lands  of,  see  Haddo-Rattray 
Broughton.  Vernon  Delves,  husband 

of  Augusta  Mary  Arbuthnot,  241 
Brownrigg,  Charles  Edward,  husband 

of  Adolphine  Mary  Arbuthnot,  310 
Bruce,  Major  George,  66 

Helen,  wife  of  John  Arbuthnot 

of  Fiddes,  66 

Jane,  wife  of  Macduff  Arbuthnot, 

287 

John,   of  Gray's   Fortree,    125, 

126,  430,  431 

Sir  Robert,  of  Clackmannan,  66 

BuCHAN,  ,  of  Auchmacoy,  272 

Grace,  wife  of  Dr.  James  Arbuth- 
not, 272 

Jane,  wife  of  Thomas  Arbuthnot 

of  Innervidie  and  Nether  Kinmundy, 
273 

Buckinghamshire.  Robert,  fourth  Earl 

of,  see  Lord  H  chart 
Burnett,  Alexander,  of  Leys,  48 

Alexander,    of   Leys,    husband 

of  Catherine  Arbuthnot,   48 

Isabel,  wife  of  Robert  Arbuthnot 

of  Fiddes,  48 

James,  of  Craigrayle,  48 

Jean,    second    \vife    of    Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  Fiddes,  48 

Robert,  of  Cowtoun,  first  husband 

of  Helen  Arbuthnot,  66 

Robert,    husband   of   the   Hon. 

Anne  Arbuthnott,  76 

Robert,  of  Glenbervie,  76 

Sir     Thomas,    third     Baronet, 

husband     of     the     Hon.     Margaret 
Arbuthnott,  72 

Burton,  Olive  Mary  Hay,  wife  of 
Lieut.-Colonel  Alexander  George  Ar- 
buthnot, 237 

Colonel  VV.  H..  237 

Cairngall,  lands  of,  purchased  by  James 
and  John  Arbuthnot  in  1591,  in  ; 
pass  to  the  Forbes  family,  132,  137  ; 
sold  by  Duncan  Forbes  to  John 
Hutchison,  1803,  137 ;  documents 
relating  to.  Appendix  II 

Caldenhead,  Mr.  (or  Aikenhead),  said 
to  have  married  a  daughter  of  the 
Rev.  Alexander  Arbuthnot,  154 

Campbell,  Alexander,  Bishop  of 
Brechin,  second  husband  of  Helen 
Clephane,  54 


INDEX 


517 


Campbell,  John,  of  Kilberry,  Co.  Argyll, 
310 

John,  78 

Margaret  Rosa,  wife  of  William 

Arbutlinot  of  Ham  Manor,  Berks,  310 

Dr.  Robert,  husband  of  Elspet 

Arbuthnot,  275 

Susan,    wife    of    Lieut. -Colonel 

the  Hon.  Hugh  Arbuthnott,  78 

Thomas,  the  poet,  264 

Colonel   William    R.,    of   Bal- 

lochyle,  husband  of  the  Hon.  Clemen- 
tina Maria  Arbuthnott,  80 

Capel,     Captain     the     Hon.     Bladen 

(afterwards  Vice-Admiral  of  the  Blue), 

196,   198,   199,  442 
Carden,  John,  of  Barnane,  387-420 
Cargill  of  Lessington,   first  husband 

of  Giles  Arbuthnot,   38 
Carnegy,   Sir  Alexander,  husband  of 

Margaret  Arbuthnot,  67 

Sir  David,   second   Baronet,   of 

Pitarrow,  73 

Elizabeth,     wife     of     Andrew 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  60 

Elizabeth,     wife     of     Robert 

Arbuthnot,  Auditor  of  the  Exchequer, 
166,  note 

James,  of  Craigo,  166,  nole 

James,   of  Balnamoon,   husband 

of  Jlargaret  Arbuthnot,  54 

Lady  Marjorie,  wife  of  Robert, 

first  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  69 

Robert,  of  Kinnaird,  60 

Carnegy-Arbuthnott,     of     Findowrie, 

arms  of,  55 

Mr.   James,   of  Balnamoon  and 

Findowrie,  55 

Caroline,  Queen  of  England,  wife  of 
George  IV  (as  Princess  of  Wales),  185, 
186 
Cassia,  Count  von,  285 

Mai  Violet  von,  wife  of  Edward 

Ogilvy  Arbuthnot,  285 
Caterline,   estate  of,  57,   67,   444 
Catherine  II,  Empress  of  Russia,  172 
Cecil,  John,  of  Ravensbury,  171,  177 

Sally  Margaret,   first  wife   of 

John  Arbuthnot  of  Rockfleet,  171,  177 

Ceylon,  troubles  in,  in  1801,  332-3  ; 
friction  with  the  native  state  of 
Kandy,  ib.  ;  i\Ir.  North's  negotiations, 
ib.  ;  attack  by  the  Kandians  on  a 
party  of  British  merchants,  1802,  337  ; 
expedition  to  the  interior,  ifc.  ;  General 
Macdowall  takes  Kandy,  ib.  ;  massacre 
of  British  troops  at  Kandy,  345  ; 
George  Arbuthnot's  report  to  Lord 
William  Bentinck  on  the  affair,  342-4 

Champain,  Brig. -General  Hugh  F. 
Bateman,  husband  of  Dorothy  Ger- 
trude Arbuthnot,  312 


Charles  Edward  Stuart,  Prince,  271 
Chatteris,  William  P.  B.,  husband  of 

Anne  Arbuthnot,  235 
Cheape,    Alexander,    of    Strathtyrum, 

husband  of  the  Hon.  Anne  Charlotte 

Arbuthnott,  79 

Commander  James,  husband  of 

the  Hon.  Jean  Ogilvy  Arbuthnott,  79 

Cheyne  of  Inverugie,  family  of,  141 
Cheyne,    Alexander,    second    husband 

of  Margaret  Arbuthnot,  124,  125,  126 
George,  in  Bourhills  of  Straloch, 

119 

Isobel,  wife  of  John  Bruce,  123 

Marjorie,  wife  of  James  John- 
ston,  125 

Cholmondeley,  George,  first  Marquis 
of,  231,  232 

William,     third     Marquis     of, 

husband  of  Marcia  Emma  Georgiana 
Arbuthnot,  232 

Clarke,  Caroline,  wife  of  General  Sir 
Charles  George  Arbuthnot,  K.C.B.,  236 

Dr.  William,  236 

Clephane, ,  husband  of Arbuth- 
not, 54 

George,  of  Carslogie,  53 

Helen,    third    wife    of    Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  54,  89,  95 

James,    of   Hilcairney,    husband 

of  Jean  Arbuthnot,  53 

Clive,  Edward,  second  Lord  (afterwards 
first  Earl  of  Powis),  Governor  of 
Madras  in  1S03,  345,  346,  347,  348,  349 

Clonmell,  Thomas,  second  Earl  of,  232 

Close,  M.,  husband  of  Beatrice  Bingham 
Arbuthnot,  238 

Coats,  Mr.  Archibald,  his  purchase  of 
the  ArbttthnoU  Missal,  28,  note 

Cobbe,  Mervyn  Hugh,  R.N.,  husband 
of  Caroline  Anne  Maud  Arbuthnot,  237 

Cobbold,  William  Nevill,  husband  of 
Hester  Marion  Arbuthnot,  387 

Cochrane,  Admiral  the  Hon.  Alex- 
ander, sixth  son  of  Thomas,  eighth 
Earl  of  Dundonald,  300 

CoGHiLL,  Mary,  wife  of  Captain  Robert 
Wemyss  Muir  Arbuthnot,  317 

Norman,  317 

CoLLACE,  Christian,  first  wife  of  James 
Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche,  93,  94.  I '3. 
145 

CoLQUHOUN,  Major  Alan  S.,  husband 
of  Beatrice  Mary  Arbuthnot,  237 

"  Conservative,"  name  first  given  to 
the  Tories  in  1831,  Appendix  VI, 
485,   note 

CooK,  Rev.  John,  Rector  of  Ockley, 
Surrey,   369,  471,  472,  473,  474-  486 

Cordiner,  Jean,  wife  of  James  Arbuth- 
not of  Natal,  273,  286 

Dr.  Macduff,  273,  286 


518 


MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 


Cork,  Edmund,  eighth  Earl  of,  318 
CoRKRAN,    Lewis,    husband    of    Harriet 

Arbuthnot,   179 
Correspondence,     Despatches     and     Other 

Papers  of  Viscount  Castlereagh,  quoted, 

200,  202,  212 
COTTENHAM,   CHARLES,   first  Earl  of,    180 
CoUTTS  AND  Co.,   bankers,   331,   333 
CouTTS,  Baroness  Burdett-,  366,  note 

Thomas,  founder  of  Coutts  and 

Co.,  366,  note 

Craigston  Castle,   291-2,  374 
Crawford,    Captain,    husband    of    the 

Hon.    Jean   Arbuthnott,    75 
Crawford,   David,  fifth  Earl  of,  85 
Crichton,  James,  of  Fendraucht,   127 
Crocker,  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Fitzjames 

Arbuthnot,  287 
Crombie,  David,  of  Greenhills,  Queens- 
land, husband  of  Phoebe  Janet  Arbuth- 
not, 237 
CuMiNE,     Catherine,     wife     of     James 
Arbuthnot  of  Dens,  283 

George,  of  Pitully,  283 

Cuthbert,  Emily,  wifeof  Arthur  Arbuth- 
not of  Woodford.  234 

William,    of    IBeaufront    Castle, 

Northumberland,  234 

Dalgarno,  Arthur,  in  Fortree,  147,  24S 

John,    of    Mill    of    Rora,    first 

husband  of  Janet  Arbuthnot,  248,  252 

Mary,  wife  of  Andrew  Arbuthnot 

of  Hatton,  247 

William,   148 

Dardanelles.  Expedition  to,  in  1807, 

201-204  ;    forced  bj'  a  British  Squad- 
ron  under  Admiral  Sir   John   Duck- 
worth, 203-4 
Davey,     Captain,     husband    of    Susan 
Arbuthnot,  288 

Edith,     wife     of     Fitzwilliam 

Arbuthnot,  287 

Davie.  Major,  in  charge  of  British 
troops  at  Kandy,  1803,  344,  345  ; 
massacre  of  his  entire  force,  345  ;  he 
dies  a  prisoner  among  the  Kandians, 
ib. 

Dawkins,  Clinton  B.,  first  husband 
of  Mary  Rose  Arbuthnot,  319 

Derwentwater,  James,  third  Earl  of, 
163-4,  ''o^* 

Diary  of  Frances,  Lady  Shelley,  quoted, 
217-18,  219,   221,   222 

Dick,  Sir  William,  of  Braid,  131 

DiGBY,  Hon.  Robert,   164 

DoBSON,  Henry  Montague,  husband 
of  Aline  Arbuthnot,  422 

Dorking,  riots  in,  in  1830,  365  ;  Appen- 
dix, 473,  474 

Douglas,  Anne,  wife  of  Captain  Robert 
Arbuthnot,  61 


Douglas    Arms    on    ancient    tomb    in 

Arbuthnott  Church,  27 
Douglas,  Barbara  Elrington,  wife  of 

the  Hon.  Wilham  Arbuthnot,   79 

Edward,     husband     of     Anne 

Arbuthnot,   320 

General  Sir  James  D.,  K.C.B., 

320 

Mr.  James,  husband  of  EUzabeth 

Arbuthnot,  61 

John,   of  Tilwhilly,   husband  of 

Mary  Arbuthnott,   73 

Margaret,  second  wife  of  Philip 

de  Aberbothenoth,   35 

Marjorie,   wife  of    John,   sixth 

Viscount  Arbuthnott,   76 

General  Sir  Neil,  K.C.B.,  79 

Robert,  of  Bridgeford.  76 

Sir  William,  of  Dalkeith,  34 

Sir     William,     of     Glenbervie, 

third  husband  of  the  Hon.  Jean 
Arbuthnott,  67 

Duckworth,   Admiral   Sir    John,   200, 

202,  203,  204,  205,  206,  207,  208,  20q, 
210,  211,  212,  213,  214,-^  forces  the 
Dardanelles  in  1807,  203-4  '•  ^"  the 
Right  Hon.  Charles  Arbuthnot 

Dudgeon,  Major  Arthur  F.,  husband 
of  Jean  Marjorie  Arbuthnot,   317 

Duke,  Sir  Edward,  Bart.,  of  Benhall, 
166 

Elizabeth,  second  wife  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  Rouen,   166 

Dunbar,  Sir  Alexander,  of  Northfield, 
husband  of  the  Hon.  Margaret  Ar- 
buthnott, 76 

J.,  second  wife  of  John  Arbuthnot 

of  Whitehill  and  Toddlehills,  280 

William,  of  Grange,  husband  of 

Mary  Arbuthnot,   249 

Duncan,  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Robert 
Arbuthnot  of  New  Seat,  274 

Elspet,      wife      of     Nathaniel 

Arbuthnot  of  Rora  and  Auchlee,  250 

John,  in  Innervidie,  274 

Thomas,  of  Innervidie,   250 

Durham,     Elizabeth,     wife    of     David 

Arbuthnot  of    that  Ilk,  37,  and  note 

Elderslie,  Estate  of,  in  Ockley, 
Surrey,  purchased  by  George  Arbuth- 
not in  1824,  359 

Elphinstone,   Harie,  2S8 

Erroll,  Andrew,  Master  of,  afterwards 
eighth   Earl  of  Erroll,   86 

Gilbert,  eleventh    Earl  of,    150 

Mary,  Countess  of,  250 

Erskine,   John,  of  Dun,  52 

Katherine,  first  wife  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  52 

Erth,  Sir  Alexander  of.  Vicar  of 
Kinneff,  36,  note 


INDEX 


519 


Eustace,  Rev.  Charles,  -z 

Evans,  General  Sir  de  Lacy,  second 

husband  of  Josette  Arbuthnott,   7: 
Evelyn,     Ada     Jane,     wife    of    Philip 

Stewart-Mackenzie  Arbuthnot,  383 

William  John,  of  Wotton,  38  3 

Falconer,  Alexander,  husband  of 
Janet  Arbuthnot,  40 

Elizabeth,    wife    of    the    Hon. 

Thomas  Arbuthnot,  74 

George,   of  Halkerton,   40 

Sir  James,  of  Phesdo,  73,  74 

Margaret,    wife    of    the    Hon. 

John  Arbuthnott  of  Fordoun,  73 

Fane,  Harriet,  second  wife  of  the 
Eight  Hon.  Charles  Arbuthnot,  215, 
216,  217,  218,  2ig,  221,  222.  223, 
225,231  ;  her  friendship  with  Welling- 
ton, 216 

the   Hon.   Henry,   of  Fulbeck, 

215.  ^31 

Farquharson,  Alexander,  buys  the 
Haddo-Rattray  estate,  283,  289 

Alexander,  of  Finzean,  134,  135 

Anna,     second     wife    of     John 

Arbuthnot,  third  Laird  of  Cairngall, 
134 

Donald,  of  Balfour,  135 

Francis,  of  Finzean,  54,   135 

James,  of  TuUochcoy,   155,  nole 

Patrick,  of  Invcry,  288 

Robert,  of  Finzean,   135 

Fearon,    Frederica,    first    wife    of    Sir 

Alexander  John  Arbuthnot,  K.C.S.L, 
236 

Major-General   Robert,   C.B., 

236 

Feilden,  Rev.  Randal  Henry,  husband 

of  Phoebe  Sarah  Arbuthnot,  239 
Ferguson,  William,  husband  of  Isobel 

Arbuthnot,  273 
Fiddes,    Lands  of,  33,  38,  41,  42,  48. 

49,  65,  66 
Fitzgerald,  Anne,  wife  of  Sir  Robert 

Keith     Arbuthnot,    second    Baronet, 

320 

Field-Marshal  Sir  John  For- 

ster,  320 

Mrs.  {nee  Helen   O'Halloran), 

fourth    wife   of    John    Arbuthnot    of 
Rockfleet,   177 

Ursula,    second    wifr    of    John 

Arbuthnot  of  Rockfleet,   171,   177 

Fleming  of  Braid,  35 

Forbes  of  Cairngall,  family  of,  137-S 

Forbes  of  Thornton.   73 

Alexander,  of  Boynlee,   131 

Alexander,     sixth     Laird     of 

Pitsligo,   131 

Alexander,  247 

Andrew,  248 


Forbes,  Ddncan,  of  Cairngall,  120,  note, 
137 

Duncan,  son   of    Keith   Forbes, 

137 

Duncan,     minister     of     Pitsligo, 

husband   of   Agnes   Arbuthnot,    132, 
133.   137 

George,   of  Aberdour,  husband 

of  Elizabeth  Arbuthnot,    133 

Joan,    married    first    to    John, 

third    Earl    of    AthoU,    secondly    to 
WilUam  Leslie  of  Balquhaine,  113 

John,  of  Byth,   132 

John,  sixth  Lord,  113 

Keith,   137 

Miss  Margaret,  last  repre- 
sentative of  the  Forbes'  of  Cairngall, 
120,  note,   137 

Margaret,  wife  of  John  Arbuth- 
not, second  Laird  of  Cairngall,   131 

Margaret,  wife  of    Dr.  Thomas 

Arbuthnott  of  Balglassie,  73 

Patrick,  husband  of  Ar- 
buthnot,  150 

Robert,  of  Ludquharn,  69 

Thomas,  of  Auchredie,   150 

Thomas,   of   Todla,    husband   of 

Nicola  Arbuthnot,   133 

Thomas,     husband     of     Elspct 

Arbuthnot,  248 

William,  of  Cairngall,   132,   137 

William,  in  Kinmundy,   118 

William,    in    Rigend    of     Kin- 

minity,  see  WilUam  Forbes  of  Cairn- 
gall 

William,     husband     of     Anna 

Arbuthnot,  69 

William,  husband  of  Ehzabeth 

Arbuthnot,   73 

Forsyth,  Alexander,  in  Keith,  137 
. ■  Isabella,  wife  of  Wilham  Forbes 

of  Cairngall,   137 
Fotheringham,  Mr.  James,  ioi 
Thomas,  of  Powrie,  first  husband 

of   Ehzabeth   Arbuthnot,    40 
Fox,    Edward    Herbert,    husband    of 

Ahce  Marion  Arbuthnot,  311 
Fraser  of  Broadlands,  249 

OF    H.^TTON,    248 

Alexander,  of  Durris,  husband 

of  Christian   Arbuthnot,   40 

Alex.\nder,   husband   of   Helen 

Arbuthnot,  61 

Captain    Ale.xander,    husband 

of  Christian  Arbuthnot,   254,   272 

— ,  Andrew,  first  Lord,   118 

Catherine,    wife    of    Major    P. 

Vans  Agnew,  359 

Christian,  wife  of  John  Arbuth- 
not of  Legasland,  87 

Christian,  wife  of  James  Arbuth- 
not, 254 


520 


MEMORIES    OF   THE   ARBUTHNOTS 


Fraser,  Donald,  solicitor  in  Inverness, 
357.  380-1 

■ Eliza,  wife  of  George  Arbuthnot, 

first  of  Elderslie,  357,  380-1 

• Eliza,  wife  of  Natlianiel  Arbuth- 
not of  Hatton,  248 

IsoBEL,  wile  of  Thomas  Fraser 

of  Durris,  iiS 

John,  359,  370,  371,  372 

Katherine,     second     wife     of 

Robert,  first  Viscount  Arbuthnott,  69 

Margaret,     wife     of     Andrew 

Arbuthnot  of  Broadlands,  249 

Margaret,    second   wife   of   Sir 

Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  64 

Marie,    second    wife    of    James 

Arbuthnot,  second  Laird  of  Lentusche, 
118 

Michael,  of  Stony  wood,  ii8 

Thomas,  of  Durris,  61 

Thomas,  of  Durris,   118 

Thomas,   of  Stonywood,   second 

husband  of  Giles  Arbuthnot,  40 

William,  in  Boigheid,   log-iio 

William,  in  Mains  of  Inverugie, 

289 
Frere,  Mr.  Bartle,   300,   301,   302 

Mr.     John    Hookham,    British 

Ambassador  at  Madrid  in  1804,  299, 
300,  301,  435 

Fulcher,  Mary  Ellen,  first  wife  of 
the  Rev.  George  Alexander  Papendick 
Arbuthnot,  241 

William,  of  Surbiton,  241 

Fullartoun,  Margaret,  wife  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  in  Barnehill,  42 

Gainsborough,  Charles,  first  Earl  of, 

421 
Galloway,  William,  husband  of  Jean 

Arbuthnott,  70 
Garden,  David,  of  Lawton,  61 

Francis    (afterwards  Lord   Gar- 

denstone),  170 

John,  of  Lawton,  67 

John,     husband    of    Ehzabeth 

Arbuthnot,  61 

Magdalen,  wife  of  John  Arbuth- 
not ot  Caterline,  67 

Gardenstone,  Lord,  see  Francis  Garden 

George,  Prince  of  Denmark,  Consort 
to  Queen  Anne,   155 

Gibson,  Archibald,  78 

Marianne,  wife  of  Hugh  Corsar 

Arbuthnott,   78 

Giles,     Douglas,     husband    of    Carina 

Arbuthnot,  287 
Gladstone,  Sir  John,  first  Baronet,  375, 

376,  377 

Right  Hon.  W.  E.,  376,  and  nole 

Glamis,   John,  eighth  Lord,   Chancellor 

of  Scotland,  100,  10 1 


Glamis,  Patrick,  ninth  Lord  (afterwards 

Earl   of   ICinghorne),    loi,    in,    112, 

122,   123,   127-130 
Sir  Thomas  Lyon  of  Auldbar, 

known  as   the  Master  of,    loi,    102, 

105,  108 
Glenbervie,  Sylvester  Douglas,  Lord, 

338,  and  note,  351 
Gordon  of  Mill  of  Fiddes,  254 

OF  Nethermuir,  151 

,  ,  wife  of  WilUam  Arbuthnot 

of  Auchterady,   151 

Adam,  127 

Alexander,     of    Glendaveney, 

husband  of  Jean  Arbuthnott,   73 

Lady  Anne   Sutherland,   wife 

of  Robert,  third  Viscount  Arbuthnott, 
74.  75 

Beatrix,  wife  of  Robert  Arbuth- 
not of  Scotsmill,  125,   149,   150 

Charles,   of  Auchleuchries,   254 

Charles,  of  Blelack,   135 

Lady  Elizabeth,  wife  of  William, 

third  Earl  Marischal,   39 

Elizabeth,  first   wife   of   James 

Arbuthnot,  273 

George,   of  Auchleuchries,   hus- 
band  of  Christian  Arbuthnot,   272 

James,  of  Letterfourie,  126 

Janet,   second   wife  of  Andrew 

Arbuthnot  of  Fiddes,  48 

Sir  John,  of  Pitlurg,   in,    121, 

and  Appendi.x  II,  428 

John,    of   Boigs   and   Tilligreig, 

second  husband  of  Helen  Arbuthnot, 
98,   113,   iig,   146 

John,  of  Chapeltown  of  Essilmont 

and  of  Sheills,  second  husband  of 
Margaret  Arbuthnot,  113,  124,  125, 
126,  127,  149 

John,  Tutor  of  Glenbucket,  280 

Katherine,     second     wife     of 

Robert,  second  Viscount  Arbuthnott, 
72 

Margaret,  wife  of  James  Arbuth- 
not of  West  Rora,   254 

Patrick,  in  Cairngall,   118 

Patrick,  of  Glenbucket,  second 

husband  of  the  Hon.  Jean  Arbuth- 
nott, 67 

Robert,  of  Cluny,  first  husband 

of  the  Hon.  Catherine  Arbuthnott,  74 

Robert,  of  Straloch,  72 

Robert,    brother   to   the   Laird 

of  Daach,   168,  note 

Thomas,   126 

William,  of  Drumnethie,  98 

Gorthie     of    that    Ilk,     husband    of 

Katherine  Arbuthnot,  85 

Gorthie,  Katherine,  85 

Gough,  George,  second  Viscount,  hus- 
band of  Jane  Arbuthnot,  3S1 


INDEX 


521 


GouGH,  Hon.  Gertrude  Sophia,  wife 
of  Archibald  Francis  Arbuthnot,  314 

Hugh,   first  Viscount.   314 

General  Sir  John  Bloomfield, 

husband  of  Elizabeth  Agnew  Arbuth- 
not, 382 

Grahame  of  Morphie,  37 

,  ,  wife  of  James  Arbuthnot, 

37 

Alexander,  husband  of  Catherine 

Arbuthnot,  38 

David,  of  Morphie,  38 

Elizabeth,  second  wife  of  John 

Arbuthnot  of  Mondynes,  53 

Henry,  of  Morphie,  first  husband 

of  Giles  Arbuthnot,   40 

Isabella,  wife  of  John,  seventh 

Viscount  Arbuthnott,  77 

Margaret,  wife  of  Robert  Arbuth- 
not of  Findowrie,  54 

Sir  William,  of  Claverhouse,  54 

William  Barclay  Grahame,  of 

Morphie,  77 

Green,  Rev.  Frederick  C,  316 
Gertrude  Alice,  wife  of  Captain 

Archibald  Hugh  Arbuthnot,  316 
Greene,     Evie,     wife     of     Commander 

Ernest   Kennaway  Arbuthnot,   316 

Richard  Bentley,  316 

Greville  Memoirs,  quoted,   217,   223,   225 
Grews.  Captain  Robert  A.  L.,  husband 

of  Fanny  Arbuthnot,  23S 
Grey,   Charles,   second   Earl   (as  Lord 

Ho\vick),    193,    196  ;     (as  Earl  Grey), 

214,    226,    Appendix    VI,    472,    and 

note,  474,  477,  482,  483 
Guilford,    Frederick,    fifth    Earl    of, 

see  the  Hon.   Frederick  North 
Guthrie,    David,    of   Kair,   husband   of 

Margaret  Arbuthnot,  57 

David  Charles,  305 

James   Alexander,   of   Craigie, 

305,  note,  321 

Haddo-Rattray,  Lands  of,  formerly 
called  Broadlands,  bought  by  Andrew 

Arbuthnot    from   Eraser,    249  ; 

passed  to  the  families  of  Watson  and 
Black,  288  ;  sold  by  Elizabeth  Black, 
widow  of  Patrick  Farquharson  of 
Invery,  to  Robert  Arbuthnot,  1747, 
ib.  ;  sold  by  the  latter's  son  Robert 
to  Alexander  Farquharson,  1772,  289  ; 
purchased  by  James  Arbuthnot  of 
Dens,  17S6,  ih.  ;  sold  by  him  to 
Alexander  Annand,  1787,  ib.  ;  des- 
cription of  house,   289-290 

Haldane,  Helen,  wife  of  Alexander 
Lindsay  of  Canterland,    154,   note 

Sir  John,  of  Glencagles,   64 

Haliburton,  Captain  James,  first  hus- 
band of  Helen  Arbuthnot,  57 


Haliburton,  Margaret,  wife  of  Alexander 
Arbuthnot  of  Pitcarles,    57 

Hall,  Anne  Jessie  Thomasine,  wife  of 
the  Rev.  George  Alexander  Papendick 
Arbuthnot,  241 

Captain  Basil,  305,  363,  480 

Thomas  D.,  241 

Halversen,  Lillemor,  wife  of  Francis 

Sidney  Arbuthnot,  421 

Nicholas,  421 

Halyburton,  William,  of  Pitcur,  69 
Hamilton,   Frances,   wife  of  the  Rev. 

Frederick  Arbuthnot,   176,  note 

Jeannie  Sinclair,  wife  of  John 

Campbell  Arbuthnott,  78 

Robert,  78 

Hampton,  Christian,  wife  of  WiUiam 
Arbuthnot  in  Invernettie,  148,  150 

John,  at  Stone  Mill  of  Inverugie, 

148,   150 

Hanbury,  Nigel,  husband  of  Evelyn 
Marion  Arbuthnot,  421 

Harley,  Robert,  Earlof  Oxford,  156, 157 

Harold,  Robert  Oliver,  husband  of 
Evelyn  Geraldine  Arbuthnot,  234 

Hawksworth,  Edward,  husband  of 
Eva  Arbuthnot,  288 

Hay,  Caroline  Ramsay,  second  wife  of 
George  Clerk  Arbuthnot  of  Mavis- 
bank,  313 

James,  of  Collepriest,  313 

John,    in    Savock,    husband    of 

Grizel  Arbuthnot,   247 

John,   of  Westhall,   husband   of 

the  Hon.  Anne  Arbuthnott,  74 

Heard,  Anne,  fifth  wife  of  John  Arbuth- 
not of  Rockfleet,   177 

— BiCKFORD,  of  Cork,   177 

Henderson,  Jessie  Marguerite,  wife 
of  Lieut. -Commander  Geoffrey  Schom- 
berg  Arbuthnot,   313 

William,    of    Berkeley    House, 

Frome,  313 

Hepburn,  Rev.  Alexander,  281 
Anne,  wife  of  Andrew  Arbuthnot, 

281 
Hepom,  Georgie,  wife  of  Edgar  Arbuth- 
not, 287 
Heron,     Sir     Thomas,     Bart.,     second 

husband  of  Elspet  Arbuthnot,  251 
Historical      MSS.      Commission,     Eighth 

Report,  quoted,  28,  34,  35,  36 
History  0/  Music,  by  Dr.  I3urney,  quoted, 

170 
History  of  Music,  by  Sir  John  Hawkins, 

quoted,   169,   170 
Hobart,      Robert,     Lord      (afterwards 

fourth  Earl  of  Buckinghamshire),  338 
Holmes,     Richard,    husband    of    Anne 

Arbuthnot,   178 
Hoppringil,  Margaret,  second  wife  of 

Andrew  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  61 


.'522 


ME]\IORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 


HowETT,  Maria,  first  wife  of  Major- 
General  Horton  Brisco,    179,  vote 

HowicK,  Charles,  Viscount,  afterwards 
second  Earl  Grey,  see  the  latter. 

HuBBUcK,  Captain  Charles  R.  K., 
husband  of  Alice  Catherine  Arbuthnot, 

Hughes,     Captain,     first     husband     of 

Josette  Arbuthnott,   71 
Hugo,   Mary,   wife  of   St.   George   Ray 

Arbuthnot,  287 
Hunter,   Jane  Campbell  (Mrs.   David 

Charles  Guthrie),  305,  306,  341 

Sir    John,     British    Consul    at 

Seville  and  St.  Lucar,  Spain,  husband 
of  EUzabeth  Barbara  Arbuthnot,  299, 
300,  301,  302,  303,  304,  305 

Margaret     Congalton     (Mrs. 

Basil  Hall),  304,  305,  306 

Robert  John,  306,  341,  360 

HuNTLV,  George,  second  Earl  of,  39 
George,  sixth  Earl  of,  afterwards 

first  Marquis  of,   105,   127 
Hutchison,  John,  of  Cairngall,  137,  284 

John,   of  Monyruy,   husband  of 

Catherine  Arbuthnot,  286 

Mary,  wife  of  George  Arbuthnot 

of  Invernettie,  284 

Major  W.  E.,  of  Cairngall,  120, 

note,  124 

Hylton,  Barony  of,  180,  note 

Catherine,  daughter  and  co- 
heiress of  John  Hylton,  Baron  of 
Hylton,   179,  note 

Lord,  i8o,  note 

Innes,  Elspet,  -wife  of  Alexander  Arbuth- 
not, second  in  Rora,  246 

Gilbert,  of  Stowe,  246 

Inverclyde,  John,  first  Lord,  husband 

of  Emily  Arbuthnot,  313 
Inverurie  and  the  Earldom  of  the  Garioch, 

quoted,   145,  note 
Irvine,  Charles,  of  Rouen,  170 
Italinski.   Chevalier,   Russian  Ambas- 
sador at  Constantinople  in  1806,  190, 
192,   193 

Jackson,  Annie  Susan  Charlotte,  wife 
of  James  Woodgate  Arbuthnot  of 
Eldershe,  420 

Sir  Charles.  Judge  of  the  High 

Court  of  Calcutta,   420 

Jaffray,  Alexander,  97,  98,  note 
James  Francis  Edward  Stuart,  Prince 
OF  Wales,   known   as   the   ChevaUer 
de  St.  George,  162,  163,  268,  269,  270 
James  I,    King  of  Scotland,   35,   note 
James  IV,  King  of  Scotland,  39 
James  V,  King  of  Scotland,  40 
James  VI,  King  of  Scotland,  44,  103, 
104,   lOj,    106,   107,   108 


Johnnestoun,   Robert,  in  Kayismilne, 

113 
Johnson,  Dr.  Samuel,  290 
Johnston,  Andrew,  of  Aldie,  249,  275 
Grizel,  wife  of  Charles  Arbuthnot 

of  Crichie,  249,   275 

James,  in  Isaacstown,  125 

Patrick,  in  Haltoun  of  Belhelvic, 

husband  of  Margaret  Arbuthnot,  112, 
117,   124,   126,   127,   128,   129,   130 
Jones,    Louisa    Anne,    second    wife   of 
George   Arbuthnot   of   the   Treasury, 
239 

Lieut.-General   Sir   Richard, 

K.C.B.,  239 

Kaye,  Mr.  Cecil  Lister-,  180 

Sir  John  Lister-,  second  Baronet, 

husband   of  Matilda   Arbuthnot,    180 
Sir  John  Lister-,  third  Baronet, 

180 

Lister  Lister-,  iSo 

Kennedy,  Margaret,  wife  of  the  Rev. 

Robert  Arbuthnot,  minister  of  Crich- 
ton  and  Cranstoun,  Appendix  V,  443 

Keith,   Family  of,    141-143 

Alexander,  of  Cowtoun,  husband 

of  Marjorie  Arbuthnot,  49 

Alexander,  of  Pittendrum,  40 

Christian,  wife  of  Robert  Arbuth- 
not of  that  Ilk,  52,  92 

Lady   Elizabeth,    first   wife   of 

Robert,  second  Viscount  Arbuthnott, 
7J 

Colonel     George    (afterwards 

eighth  Earl  Marischal),    150 

Sir  George,  63 

James,  Field-Marshal,  143,  note 

■ Janet,    first    wife   of   Philip   de 

Aberbothenoth,  34 

Jean,  wife  of  David  Arbuthnot 

of  Auchterforfar,  56 

John,  of  Cowtoun,  56 

Margaret,    wife    of    Hugh    de 

Arbuthnot,  36 

— Lady    Margaret,    wife    of    Sir 

Robert  Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,   64 

Mary,  wife  of  Sir  Robert  Arbuth- 
not of  that  Ilk,  63 

Robert,    Lord,    eldest    son    of 

William,  third  Earl  Marischal,  52 

Sir  Robert,  of  Dunnottar,  36 

Robert,  of  Redcastle,  246 

Sir    Robert    Murray,    British 

Ambassador  at  Vienna.  290,  295, 
331 

Sir    William,    Great   Marischal 

of  Scotland,  34 

William,  Lord,  afterwards  third 

Earl  Marischal,  39 

William,    Lord,    eldest   son   of 

William,  fourth  Earl  Marischal,  63 


INDEX 


523 


Kenmure,    Theodora,    wife    of    Trent 

Arbuthnot,  287 
Kennaway.    Sir    John,   third    Baronet, 

husband  of  Frances  Arbuthnot,  318 
Ker,  Thomas,  89,  100,  107,  109,  121 
Keyworth,   Captain   Robert,   husband 

of     Constance    Margaret    Arbuthnot, 

3J2 

Kilgour,  Bishop,  husband  of  Margaret 
Arbuthnot,  273 

KiNCORTH,  Lands  of,  44 

KiNGHORNE,  Patrick,  first  Earl  of,  $te 
Patrick,  Lord  Glamis 

Kinghornie  Estate,  in  1678  the  pro- 
perty of  Sir  George  Ogilvy  of  Barras, 
49  ;  bought  by  William  Rait  of 
Halgreen  that  3'ear,  ib.  ;  by  the  Rev. 
Alexander  Arbuthnot,  1690,  ih.,  153  ; 
passes  to  his  widow,  Catherine  Och- 
terlony  and  her  son  George,  168  ; 
to  the  latter's  son,  John  Arbuthnot 
of  Rockfleet,   1754,   170 

Kingshill,  Lands  of,  44 

KiNNAiRD,  George,  of  Cowtoun,  second 
husband  of  Helen  Arbuthnot,  57 

Lambert,  Anne  Grace,  wife  of  Harold 
Denison  Arbuthnot,  384 

Charles  E.,  384,  386 

Jessie  Evelyn,  wife  of  Andrew 

Carmichael   Arbuthnot,    386 

Lammie,  Mr.  John,  Dean  of  Brechin,  154 
Margaret,  first  wife  of  the  Rev. 

Alexander  Arbuthnot,   154 
Langley,    Thomas,    husband    of    Sarah 

Arbuthnot,   179 
Lautour  and  Co.    bankers,  of  Madras, 

339.  341.  357 
Law,    Rev.    Patrick    C,    husband    of 

Frances  Arbuthnot,  235 
Lecot,  Edward,  310 
— •  Adolphine  Eliza  Macleod,  first 

wife  of  William   Arbuthnot  of   Ham 

Manor,   Berks,   310 
Lee,     Margaret,     wife     of     Archibald 

Arbuthnot,   70 
Leigh,     Constance,     wife     of     William 

Thomas  Arbuthnot,  287 
Leith,  George,   113,   115,  245 
Leith.   Helen,  widow  of  George  Leith, 

245 

John,  of  Harthill,   ii2,   115,  245 

John,  younger  of  Harthill,   112 

Patrick,  of  Harthill,  52 

Lendrum,  Elspet,   148 
Lenox-Conyngham,  Sir   William,  hus- 
band of  Laura  Calvert  Arbuthnot,  382 

Lentvsche,  Lands  of,  95-9 
Leslie,   Alexander,  of  Berrydon,  hus- 
band  of   Mary   Arbuthnot,    282 

Alexander,  of  Pitcaple,   119 

Andrew,   117,  119,  123 


Leslie,  George,  first  Laird  of  Aikenway, 
95 

George,  of  Crechie,  122 

George,  of  Lentusche,  95 

George,  of  Old  Craig,   115,  245 

Grizel,    third    wife    of    James 

Arbuthnot    of    Lentusche,    94,    note, 
96,    113.    114,    117,    131 

Isobel,    second   wife   of    James 

Arbuthnot  of  Lentusche,  94,  97,  iii, 
113,   :i4 

James,    husband    of    Christian 

Arbuthnot,  119 

John,  of  Balquhaiue,  95,  123 

John,  in  Boigs,  first  husband  of 

Helen  Arbuthnot,    117,    123 

John,  of  Wardis,  115 

Mary  Rose,  heiress  of  Warthill, 

wife  of  George  Arbuthnot-LesUe,  99, 
■note,  422 

Norman,   117 

Patrick,  94,  114 

Robert,  119 

William,  of  Balquhaine,  94,  113 

William,  of  CiviUe,  96,  97,  98, 

III,   123 

William,  of  Wardis,  Falconer  to 

the  King,   114 

William,  of  Warthill,  no,  112, 

122 

William,     eleventh     Laird     of 

Warthill,  422 

Lijt  and  Works  of  John  Arbuthnot,  M.D. 

by  G.  A.  Aitken,  quoted,  163 
Life  0]  Arthur.   Duke  of  Wellington,   by 

G.  R.  Gleig,  quoted,  220,  note,  228-9 
Life  of  Dr.  Beaitie,  by  Sir  William  Forbes, 

quoted,   292,   293 
Lindsay  of  Barnyards,  husband  of 

Arbuthnot,  55 

Sir  Alexander,  Bart.,  of  Eve- 
lick,  54 

Alexander,   of  Canterland,  65, 

154,  note 

Helen,  wife  of  Andrew  Arbuthnot 

of  Fiddes,  65 

Jerome,  42 

Sir  John,  of  Ballinscho,  127,  128 

Margaret,    wife    of    Alexander 

Arbuthnot  of  Findowrie,  54 

Lisle,   Marcia  Clapcott-,   first   wife  of 
the    Right    Hon.    Charles   Arbuthnot, 

155,  and  note,  188,  and  note,  231,  234 
Hon.  Mrs.  Clapcott-,   185,  and 

note,   188,   189 

William  Clapcott-,  of  Upway, 

Dorset,   231 

Lister-Kaye,  see  Kaye 

Lives    of    the    Most   Eminent    Writers    of 

the  Scottish  Nation,   quoted,   45 
Lives  of  the  Queens  of  Scotland,  by  Agnes 

Strickland,  quoted,   104 


524 


MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 


Livingstone,  John,  of  Dunipace.  60 
Margaret,  wife  of  James  Arbuth- 

not  of  Arrat,  60 
Londonderry,  Charles,  third  Marquis 

of,  202,  note,  478,  486 
LoRiNG,  Commander  Frederick  George, 

husband  of  Charlotte   Elizabeth   Ar- 

buthnot,  320 

Admiral  Sir  William,   K.C.B., 

320 

LovAT,  Hugh,  eighth  Lord,  69 

Simon,  eleventh  Lord,  64 

Lucas,  Katherine  Alice,  wife  of  Cap- 
tain the  Hon.  Hugh  Robin  Claud 
Arbuthnott,  Si 

Tindall,  of  Foxholes,  Hitchin.  8i 

LucKOCK,  Very  Rev.  Herbert  M.,  D.D., 

313 
■ — Margaret  Evelyn,  wife  of  the 

Ven.  George  Arbuthnot,  Archdeacon 

of  Coventry,   313 
LuMSDEN,  Mr.,  first  Presbyterian  minister 

of  Longside,   13O 
■ W.  J.,  of  Balmedie,  husband  of 

the  Hon.  Margaret  Arbuthnott,  79 
LuNDiE,  George,  husband  of  Katharine 

Gorthy.  86 
Marion,  wife  of  Robert  Arbuth- 
not, 40 

Robert,  of  Benholm,  40 

Lychtoun, ,  wife  of  Robert  Arbuth- 
not in  Banff,  37 

Lyell,  Rev.  David,  husband  of  the 
Hon.   Catherine   Arbuthnot,    77 

Lygon,  Captain  the  Hon.  Robert, 
husband  of  Cecilia  Albinia  Arbuthnot, 
318 

Lyon,  Margaret,   109 

Sir    Thomas,    of    Auldbar,    see 

Glamis,  Master  of 

Maby,  Mary,  wife  of  Crofton  Arbuthnot, 
288 

McCoMBiE,  Thomas,  husband  of  Catherine 
Arbuthnot,  284 

McCully,  James,  of  Drumblane,  Co. 
Down,   176,  note 

Sarah,  wife  of  William  Arbuthnot, 

176,  note 

Macdonald,  Etienne  Jacques  Joseph, 
Marshal  (Duke  of  Tarentum),  Appen- 
dix VI,  480-1 

Macfarlane,  John,  of  Arrocher,  first 
husband  of  the  Hon.  Helen  Arbuth- 
nott, 74 

Mackay,  James,  husband  of  Ehzabeth 
Arbuthnot,  282 

Captain  Robert  H.  R.,  husband 

of  Beatrice  CaroUne  Arbuthnot,   314 

Mackenzie,  Hon.  Mary,  wife  of  the 
Right  Hon.  James  Stewart  of  Glasser- 
ton,  224,  note,  373,  383,  note 


Macleay,  Colonel  A.  C,  327 

Lina,  wife  of  Sir  Robert  Keith 

Arbuthnot,  fourth  Baronet,  327 

McNeile,  Archibald,  husband  of  Mary 
Sybil  Arbuthnot,  422 

Colonel  J.  M.,  422 

Macranald,     Barbara,     first    wife    of 

John    Arbuthnot    of    WhitehiU    and 

Toddlehills,  280 
Mahmoud  n.  Sultan  of  Turkey,  188 
Maitland,    Hon.    Alexander,    of    Pit- 

richie,    third   son   of   Robert,    second 

Viscount  Arbuthnott,  73-4  ;   his  wife, 

Jean  Maitland,  73 

Charles,  74 

Sir  James,  of  Pitrichie,  73 

Jean,  wife  of  the  Hon.  Alexander 

Maitland,  73 

Katherine,  74 

Margaret,  74 

Mary  Anne,  74 

Sir  Richard,  of  Lethington,  45 

Mallock.    Elizabeth,    wife    of    Robert 

Arbuthnott,  69 

Robert,  69 

Mann,  Lowry,  of  Earlston,  314 

Mary    Margaret,    second    wife 

of  James  Arbuthnot  of  Ballure,   314 

Mar,  John,  husband  of  Marjorie  Ar- 
buthnot, 52,   120 

John,   sixth   Earl   of,    162,    163, 

166,  269 

Marischal    Estate,     forfeited    to    the 

Crown  after  the  '15,  270 
Marischal,    George,    fifth    Earl,    58-9, 

64,   142,   146,  245 

George,   tenth   Earl,    142,    143, 

269 

Mary,    Countess-Dowager    of 

(nee  Lady  Mary  Drummond),  143 

William,  third  Earl,   39,   52 

William,  fourth  Earl,  51,  63,  86 

William,  sixth  Earl,   142 

William,  seventh  Earl,   72,   150 

William,   ninth  Earl,   250 

Marlborough,  Sarah,  Duchess  of,  156, 

157 
Marshall,    Caroline    Elizabeth,    first 
wife  of  William  Robert  Arbuthnot,  284 

Dr.,  of  Peterhead,  2S6 

Ernest  Luxmoore,   husband  of 

Constance  Gertrude  Arbuthnot,  315 

Susan,  wife  of  WilUam  Arbuthnot 

of  Dens,  2S6 

William,  284 

Martin  of  Cardowne,  second  husband 
of  Elizabeth  Arbuthnot,   40 

Martine,  Alexander,  husband  of  Eliza- 
beth Arbuthnot,   132 

Mr.  James,  minister  of  Peterhead, 

132 

Nathaniel,  132,  133 


INDEX 


625 


Mary,    Queen    op    Scots,     Parliament 

convened    at    Edinburgh    after    her 

deposition,  51  ;  rappiochementhetweea 

her  and  her  son,   James  VI,   103-4  ; 

her    letter    to    Mauvissifere,    quoted, 

104  ;    a  suggestion  as  to  her  letters, 

ib..  note 
Masham,  Abigail,  bedchamber  woman  to 

Queen  Anne,   156,   157,   158 
Masov,  Janet,  wife  of  John  Arbuthnot 

of  Easter  Brichty,  86 
Matheson.   Hugh  Mackay,  husband  of 

Katharine  Isobel  Arbuthnot,   3S7 
Mathison,  Dr.,  husband  of  Jane  Arbuth- 
not, 275 
Maule,    Robert,    of    Panmure,    second 

husband  of  Isabel  Arbuthnot,  50 
Mauvillain,  Miss,  183 
Melville  of  Baldovie,  65 
Melville,    Mr.    Francis,    minister    of 

Arbuthnott,    husband    of    Catherine 

Arbuthnot,  61 
Melville    of   Glenbervie,    John,    35, 

36 
Memoir    of   Maria    Edgeworth,    by    Mrs. 

Edgeworth,   quoted,   223,   224 
Memoirs  of  a  Highland  Lady,  quoted,  309 
Memories    of    Madras,    by    Sir    Charles 

Lawson,  quoted,  360-1 
Memories   of  Rugby   and   India,    by   Sir 

Alexander   John   Arbuthnot,   quoted, 

232-3 
Menzies,  Andrew,  husband  of  Margaret 

Arbuthnot,  37 

Gilbert,  of  Cowley,  44 

Robert,  44 

Thomas,  of  Dome,  94,  102,  n6, 

145 

Middleton,  Margaret,  wife  of  Alex- 
ander Arbuthnot  of  Pitcarles  and 
Auchterforfar,  56 

Lieut. -Colonel  William  Craw- 
ford, husband  of  Helen  Frances 
Arbuthnot,  3S6 

MiLMAN,  Constance  Angelena,  second 
wife  of  Sir  Alexander  Arbuthnot, 
K.C.S.I.,  236 

Sir  William,  third  Baronet,  236 

MiNCHiN,  Ivy,  wife  of  Henry  Fitzgerald 

Arbuthnot,  321 

J.  W.,  321 

Minstrelsy  of  the  Scottish  Border,  by  Sir 

Walter   Scott,   quoted,    30,    31,    note, 

32 

Missal,  Arbuthnott,  see  Arbuthnott  Missal 

Moir,  James,  of  Invernettie,  husband  of 

Catherine  Arbuthnot,  73 

John,  in   Kirktoun  of  Longside, 

husband  of  Margaret  Arbuthnot,   151 

John,    son    of    the    preceding, 

husband  of  Mary  Arbuthnot,  91,  92, 
255 


MoiR,  John,  printer  and  genealogist, 
son  of  the  preceding,  author  of  a 
MS.  History  of  the  Arbuthnots  of 
Buchan,  his  account  of  their  origin 
and  the  authorities  for  his  narrative, 
go-2 ;  his  grandmother.  Margaret 
Arbuthnot,  151  ;  his  mother,  Mary 
Arbuthnot,  255  ;  his  MS.  quoted.  43, 
note,  76,  90-2,  120,  134,  135-6,  137, 
144,  150,  note,  164,  245-6,  246, 
247,  250,  251.  and  note,  252,  255, 
266-7,  270,  271.  274,  281-2 

Mary,    last    surviving    child    of 

the  preceding.   146 

Mogride,  Willoughby,  husband  of  Con- 
stance Arbuthnot,  287 
Molyneux,  Rev.  Capel,  315 

Caroline,  wife  of  Hugh  Gough 

Arbuthnot,  315 

Moncreiffe,  Selina,  second  wife  of 
Major-General  William  Arbuthnot,  314 

Sir  Thomas,  seventh  Baronet,  314 

MoNCUR,  Elizabeth,  mother  of  Robert 
Arbuthnot  in  Barnehill,  42 

Montague,  Mrs.,  founder  of  the  "  Blue- 
Stocking  Club,"  281,  293 

Monypenny,  William,  Lord,  35 

Sir  William,  husband  of  Mar- 
garet Arbuthnot,  35 

Moreville,  Family  of,  their  arms  said 
to  have  formerly  appeared  on  an  old 
tomb  in  Arbuthnott  Church,   27,   33 

Mornington.  William,  third  Earl  of, 
216,  note 

Morris,  Sir  John,  K.C.S.L,  315 

Violet  Rebecca,  wife  of  Lionel 

Gough  Arbuthnot,  315 

Morrison,    Jean,    wife    of    John,    fifth 

Viscount  Arbuthnott,  76 
William,  of  Prestongrange.  76 

Mr.,    minister   of   Benholm,    his 

translation  of  Principal  Alexander 
Arbuthnot's  Latin  History  of  the 
Arbuthnot  family,  43,  and  note 

Mortimer,  James,  of  Craigievar,  husband 
of  EUzabeth  Arbuthnot,  55 

Mowbray,  Anna  Jane,  wife  of  Major- 
General  Henry  Thomas  Arbuthnot, 
240 

Benjamin  Holme,  240 

MuiR,  Helen  Mary,  wife  of  Robert 
George  Arbuthnot,  316 

Sir  William,  K.C.S.L,  316 

MuNRO,  Donald,  319 

Nettie   May  Gumming,   wife   of 

George  Ireland  Arbuthnot,   319 

Murray,  Cordelia,  wife  of  Lieut. - 
Colonel   Robert  Arbuthnott,  71 

Esther  Jane,  wife  of  John  de 

Monte  Arbuthnot,  381 

Isobel,  wife  of  John  Arbuthnot 

in  Ravenshaw,  88 


526 


MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 


Murray,  James,  of  Polmais,  88 

Sir  Herbert  Harley,  husband 

of  Charlotte  Letitia  Caroline  Arbuth- 
not,  233 

Napier,    James,    husband    of    Margaret 

Arbuthnot,  70 
Nash,  Clifford,  78 

Gertrude  Forbes,  wife  of  Lind- 
say George  Arbuthnott,   78 
Naval  History  0}  Great  Britain,  by  William 

James,   quoted,   209,   210-11,   214 
NicoLL.   Alexander,   husband  of  Mary 

Arbuthnot,  286 
Nisbet's  Heraldry,  quoted,  33,  39 
Noble,    Captain   Norman,    husband    of 

Winifred     MadeUne     Louisa     Ogilvy 

Arbuthnot,  319 
Noel,   Evelyn   Mary,   wife  of  Herbert 

Robinson  Arbuthnot.  421 

Hon.  Henry  Lewis,  421 

North.     Hon.     Frederick     (afterwards 

fifth  Earl  of  Guilford),  296,  297,  332, 
333.  337.  338.  339,  343.  345.  347. 
352.  353.  434.  466 

Ochterlony,  Alexander.   170 

Catherine,   second  wife  of  the 

Rev.  Alexander  Arbuthnot,  154,  i(>7, 
168 

David,    of    Kellic,    husband    of 

Isabel  Arbuthnot,  50 

Rev.  David,  minister  of  Fordoun, 

155,  note 

George,   154,   167,   170 

Ogilvy  of  Boyne,  251 

,  ,  wife  of  Alexander  Arbuth- 
not, litster  in  Peterhead,  251 

David,    of    Persie,    husband    of 

Margaret  Arbuthnot,  55 

— ■ Sir  George,  of  Barras,  husband 

of  Margaret  Arbuthnot.   49,   57,    153 

Giles,  wfe  of  Robert  Arbuthnot 

of  that  Ilk,  37 

James,   of  Balfour,   husband   of 

Katherine  Arbuthnot,  55 

James,  of  Boyne,   166 

Lady    Jean    Drummond-,    wife 

of  John,  ninth  Viscount  Arbuthnott, 
80 

John,  younger  of  Balfour,  55 

John,   second   husband   of   Mar- 
garet Arbuthnot,  86 

Margaret,  wife  of  John,  eighth 

Viscount  Arbuthnott,  77 

Hon.   Walter,   afterwards   fifth 

Earl  of  AirUe,  77 

Sir  Walter,   of  Lintrathen,   37 

O'Halloran,     Helen,    fourth    wife    of 

John  Arbuthnot  of  Rockfleet,  177 
Oliphard,  Osbert,  29 

Walter,  29 


Oppenheim,  Charles,  315 

Mary     Johanna     Antoinette 

Dulcie,    wife    of    Gerald    Archibald 
Arbuthnot,  M.P.,  315 

Ord,  Mary  (Mrs.  Donald  Fraser), 
357.  note 

Dr.  William,  357 

Ormsby,  Harriet  Louisa,  wife  of  General 
George  Bingham  Arbuthnot,  238 

Joseph  Mason,  238 

Osbert  the  Crusader,  30 

Ottley,  Anna  Maria,  wife  of  Captain 
the   Hon.   Walter  Arbuthnott.   77 

Brooke  Taylor,  of  Delaford,  77 

Oxford,  Robert  Harley,   Earl  of,  see 

Harley 
OxLEY,  Admiral  Charles  Lister,  81 

Dorothy,  wife  of  the  Hon.  John 

Ogilvy    Arbuthnott,    Master    of    Ar- 
buthnott, 81 

Papendick,  Augusta  Amelia  Adol- 
PHiNA,  first  wife  of  George  Arbuthnot 
of  the  Treasury,  239 

Christopher,  239 

Park.  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Andrew  John- 
ston of  Aldie,  249,  275 

Grace,   146,  note,  246,  note 

James,  second  husband  of  Janet 

Arbuthnot,  252,  and  note,  268 

Captain     James,     husband    of 

Grizel  Arbuthnot,  275 

Parley,  Emma  Marion  Hall,  wife  of 
Walter  Charles  Warner,  thirteenth 
Viscount  Arbuthnott,  80-1 

Rev.  John  Hall,  Si 

Paul,  E.,  79 

Pearse,  Edith  Anne,  third  wife  of 
Major-General  WiUiara  Arbuthnot,  314 

Major-General  J.  L.,  314 

Penicuik,    Agnes,    wife    of    Alexander 

Arbuthnot,  printer  in  Edinburgh,  89 
Pepys,   Lady  Caroline,   wife  of  Lister 
Lister-Kaye,   180 

Samuel,  the  diarist,  45 

Peterborough,     Anastasia,    Countess 

OF,   169,   170 

Charles,  third  Earl  of,  165,  169 

Petrie,  Mary,  wife  of  Robert  Arbuthnot, 

first  of  Haddo-Rattray,  289 
PiTCAiRN,  Alexander,  of  Mondynes,  53 

Katherine,   first   wife   of   John 

Arbuthnot  of  Mondynes,  53 

Politique     Orientate     de     Napoleon,     by 
Edouard  Driault,  quoted,  203,  204,  205 
Pride Aux,  Sir  Walter,  421 

Walter,    husband    of    Marion 

Fenn  Arbuthnot.  421 

PULLAN,  Charles,  of  Blackheath,  Kent, 
284 

Ernest    Popplewell,    husband 

of  Mary  Helena  Arbuthnot,  2S4 


INDEX 


527 


Raike?,  Kev.  Charles  H..  husband  of 
Charlotte  d'Ende  Arbuthnot,  322 

Rait  of  Halgreen,  54 

,  ,  wife  of  Patrick  Arbuthnot 

of  Magdalen  Chapel,  61 

Agnes,     first    wife    of    George 

Clerk  Arbuthnot  of  Mavisbank,  312-13 

Lieut. -Colonel  Arthur   J.,   of 

Anniston,      husband      of      Kathleen 
Georgiana  Arbuthnott,  78 

Elizabeth,   first   wife   of   David 

Arbuthnot  of  Findowrie,  54 

Elizabeth,     wife     of     Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  Findowrie,  54 

David,  of  Drumnagar,  husband 

of  Arbuthnot,  40 

John,  of  Anniston,  312-13 

William,  of  Halgreen.  49,  153 

William,  of  Halgreen,  54 

William,  of  Halgreen,  husband 

of  Janet  Arbuthnot,  68 

Ramsay,  Hon.  Charles  Fox  Maule, 
husband  of  Aline  Arbuthnot-Leslie,  423 

Christian,  wife  of  Romeo  Arbuth- 
nott, 70 

Gilbert,  in  Legasland,  124,  note 

Lady  Mary,  wife  of  James  Hay 

of  CoUepriest,   313 

R.ATTRAY,  Margaret,  wife  of  James 
Arbuthnot  of  Blackstoun,  55 

Reform  Bill  of  1832,  by  the  Rev.  W.  N. 
Molesworth,  quoted,  365,  476,  note 

Reform,  Parliamentary,  question  comes 
up  in  1S30,  222  ;  strong  opposition 
on  the  part  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington, 
222,  223  ;  distress  of  the  labouring 
classes  at  that  time,  364-5  ;  in- 
cendiarism and  rioting  throughout 
the  country,  365  ;  disturbances  in 
Surrey,  ib.  ;  march  of  a  mob  on 
Wotton  Rectory,  ib.,  473  ;  riot  at 
Dorking,  22nd  November,  1S30,  365, 
473>  474;  Reform  Bill  introduced 
into  the  House  of  Commons  by  Lord 
John  Russell,  ist  March,  183 1,  Ap- 
pendix VI,  475-6  ;  thrown  out  by 
the  Lords,  8th  October,  481  ;  riots 
in  London,  481-2  ;  petition  to  the 
King,  ib.  ;  attacks  on  Tory  peers, 
482  ;  the  Bristol  riots,  ib.  ;  the  King 
gives  his  consent  to  a  creation  of 
peers,  483  ;  the  Lords  give  way,  ib.  ; 
Royal  Assent  given  by  commission, 
7th  June,    1832,   ib. 

Rennald,  Janet,  wife  of  Alexander 
Arbuthnot  of  Knox,  70 

John,  of  Larnie,  70 

Reynolds,    Eliza,    wife    of    the    Hon. 

David  Arbuthnot,   78 

Thomas  Forbes,  78 

Rhind,  Christian,  wife  of  David  Arbuth- 
not, 86 


Riccart,   David,   husband  of  the  Hon. 

Catherine  Arbuthnot,   74 
Riddel,     Elizabeth,     wife    of    Robert 

Arbuthnott  of  Kirkbraehead,  70 

John,  of  Grange,  70 

Rivers,   Hon.  Alice  Charlotte  Pitt-, 

first   wife   of   Major-General   William 

Arbuthnot,  314 

George,  fourth  Lord,  314 

Roberts,     Colonel     Charles     J.     C. 

Cramer-,  241 

Isabella   Catherine   Cramer-, 

wife  of  Major  George  Holme  Arbuth- 
not, 241 

Robertson,  General  David,  383 

James,  of  Downiehills.   148 

Mabel   Constance    Elizabeth, 

wife  of  Keith  Fraser  Arbuthnot.  383 

Margaret,  wife  of  John  Arbuth- 
not in  Rora.   151 

Thomas.   135 

William,   149,  280 

William,  in  Downiehills.  280 

Robinson.  Anastasia,  see  Peterborough, 

Anastasia,  Countess  of 

Elizabeth,  wife  of  Colonel  Bowles, 

169.   170 

Margaret,  wife  of  George  Arbuth- 
not of  Queen  Anne's  Guard,  i6g,  170 

Rockfleet  Castle,  Co.  Mayo,   176,  234 

RoLLO,  Hugh  Paterson,  of  Bannock- 
burn,  husband  of  Helen  Arbuthnott, 
71 

Ross,  John,  of  Arnage,  husband  of 
IS'icola  Arbuthnot,   286 

William,    husband   of  Margaret 

Arbuthnott,  73 

Russell,  Lord  John  (afterwards  first 
Earl  Russell),  introduces  the  Reform 
Bill  into  the  House  of  Commons, 
Appendix  VI,  475-6 

St.  Albans,  Harriot,  Duchess  of  (nfe 

Mellon),  366,  and  note 
St.  George,  Chevalier   de,  see   James 

Francis  Edward  Stuart 
St.  James,  Monastery  of,  at  Ratisbon, 

known  as  the  Scots  College,  259,  265 
Sandilands,    John,   second   husband   of 

Helen  Arbuthnot,  66 
Schofield,    Susanna,    wife    of    Lieut. - 

Colonel    Horton    Coote    Brisco,    179, 

note 
Schomberg,   Rear- Admiral  C.   F.,   313 
Emily  Caroline,  wife  of  Admiral 

Charles  Ramsay  Arbuthnot,  313 
Scots    in    Germany,    by    T.    A.    Fischer, 

quoted,  267,  and  note 
Scott,  ,  husband  of  Sophia  Arbuth- 
not, 249 

Alexander,    of    Nether    Aden, 

husband  of  Margaret  Arbuthnot,  247 


528 


MEMORIES    OF   THE    ARBUTHNOTS 


Scott,  Lady  Charlotte  Rachel,  wife 
of  Henry  Arbuthnot,  232 

Jane,  governess  in  the  family  of 

George    Arbuthnot    of    Elderslie,    her 
bequest  to  the  parish  of  Ockley,  380 

— Jean,   second   wife  of  the   Hon. 

Alexander  Arbuthnott  of  Knox,  69 

Patrick,  of  Rossie,  69 

William,     husband     of     Mary 

Arbuthnot,  274 

William,     husband     of     Anna 

Arbuthnot,  273 

ScRYMGEOUR,  SiR  James,  of  Dudhope,  39 

Mariota    (or    Marion),    second 

wife    of    Robert    Arbuthnot   of   that 
Ilk,  39 

Seaforth,  Francis,  Lord,  383,  note 
Sebastiani,    General   Horace,    French 

Ambassador     in     Constantinople     in 

1807,    187,    1S9,    191,    196,   205,   206, 

207 
Selim  III,  Sultan  of  Turkey,  187,  188, 

189,   igo,   191,   192,  206,  207 
Sempill,  Archibald,   152 

Hugh,  fifth  Lord,   152 

Jean,  -wife  of  Robert  Arbuthnot, 

152 

Sharpe,  Rev.  Harold  Stephen,  husband 
of  Clementina  Alma  Ogilvy  Arbuthnot, 
286 

SiBBALD,  Mr.  James,  61 

Rev.  John,  minister  of  Arbuth- 
nott, 29 

Simpson,  William,  husband  of  Margaret 

Arbuthnot,  249 
Sinclair,  Sir  John,  of  Dunbeath,  69 
Skilbeck,     Helena,     second     wife     of 

William  Robert  Arbuthnot,   284 

John,  284 

Skinner,  Rev.  John,  minister  of  Long- 
side,  253,  255,  note ;  Appendix  I, 
427 

Slade,  Francis  Henry,  383 

Mabel,  wife  of  William  Reierson 

Arbuthnot,  383 

Smith,  Harriet,  second  wife  of  General 
Sir  Robert  Arbuthnot,  239 

Janet,   wife  of  Duncan   Forbes 

of  Cairngall,   137 

John,  137 

Thomas,  of  Castleton  Hall,  Lan- 
cashire, 239 

Somers,  Captain,  first  husband  of  Elspet 
Arbuthnot,  251 

SouTHESK,  David,  first  Earl  of,  67,  69 

Spottiswoode,  John,  of  that  Ilk,  second 
husband  of  the  Hon.  Helen  Arbuth- 
nott, 74 

William,    LL.D.,    of     Coombe 

Bank,  Kent,  husband  of  Eliza  Taylor 
Arbuthnot,  319 

Stair,  John,  second  Earl  of,  165 


Stanislaus    Augustus,    last    King    of 

Poland,   184 
Stavelev,    Harriet   Frances,   wife  of 

James  Edward  Arbuthnot,   319 

General  William,  C.B.,  319 

Stephenson,    Basil,   husband   of  Edith 

Gertrude  Arbuthnot,   316 

Stewart,  Henry  Edward  Hamill-, 
husband  of  Geraldine  Mary  Arbuth- 
not, 322 

Stewart,  Isobel,  wife  of  Andrew  Leslie, 
119 

Lady  Jean,  wife  of  James  Arbuth- 
not of  that  Ilk,  50 

Mr.  John,  minister  of  Crimond, 

husband  of  Christian  Arbuthnot,   133 

Walter,  of  Bogtoun,   133 

William,   of  Cowstanes,    119 

Stewart-Mackenzie,     Mary     Frances 

(Mrs.  Philip  Anstruther),  224,  note, 
383,  note 

Colonel  J.  A.  F.  H.,  of  Seaforth, 

383,  note 

Stirling,  Charles,  of  Kippendavy,  hus- 
band of  Catherine  Arbuthnott,   70 

Eleanor,  wife  of  Forster  Fitz- 
gerald Arbuthnot,   321 

Admiral   Sir    James,    Governor 

of  Western  Austraha,  321 

Stone,  Andrew,  Under-Secretary  of 
State,   182,   183 

Mrs.  Andrew  {nee  Mauvillain), 

182,   183 

Anne,  third  \viie  of  John  Arbuth- 
not of  Rockfleet,   175,   177 

George,  Primate  of  Ireland,  182 

Richard,    banker    of    Lombard 

Street,   177 

Strachan,  Alexander,  of  Brigtoun, 
husband  of  Isobel  Arbuthnot,  54 

Andrew,    of   Tibbertie,    second 

husband  of  Giles  Arbuthnot,  40 

Sara,  first  wife  of  Robert  Arbuth- 
not of  Fiddes,  48 

Straiton  of  Lauriston,  married  to  a 
daughter  of  Duncan  de  Aberbothenoth, 
33 

Alexander,   husband  of  Agnes 

Arbuthnot,  54 

George,  of  that  Ilk,  54 

George,  41 

Straton,  Dr.  Samuel,  husband  of  Jean 

Arbuthnott,  70 
Stuart  Papers,  quoted,   166 
Stuart,  ,  of  Inchbreck,  54 

Alexander,  of  Inchbreck,  hus- 
band of  the  Hon.  Clementina  Arbuth- 
nott, 80 

Janet,  wife  of  Alexander  Arbuth- 
not, first  in  Rora,   246 

Julia    Helen    Maria,    wife    of 

the  Rev.  William  Arbuthnot,  285-6 


INDEX 


529 


Stuart.  Captain  Kenneth  Bruce,  286 

Captain     Kenneth     Lindsay, 

husband  of  Frances  Gertrude  Arbuth- 
not,  315 

Robert,   of  Inchbreck,    husband 

of   Sara   Arbuthnot.   48 

Sutherland.    George,    fourteenth    Earl 

of,  74 
SwiNTON,  f[UGO  DE,  afterwards  de  Aber- 

bothenoth,  see  the  latter 
Sybbald,    James,   Vicar  of  Arbuthnott, 

writer  of  the  Arbuthnott   Missal.    28, 

37,  note 
Symmer,   George,   of  Balzeordie,  54 

George,  younger  of   Balzeordie, 

husband  of  Christian  Arbuthnot.  54 

Margaret,   wife  of   Robert   Ar- 
buthnot. 53 
Symsone,  Andrew,   ioi,   102 
James,   ioi,   102 

Tatham.    Tyrone,    husband    of    Nicola 

Buchan  Arbuthnot,   287 
Taylor,    Eliza   Jane,    wife   of   William 

Urquhart  Arbuthnot,  318 
General  Sir  Henry,   318 

Lieut. -Colonel    Hugh    Neuf- 

viLLE,  husband  of  Cicely  May  Arbuth- 
not, 387 

— Mary    Steward,    first    wife    of 

James  Arbuthnot  of  Bailure,  314 

Captain  R.  N,,  314 

The  Great   War,  quoted,   325-6,   326-7 

Thomas,  John  Fryer,  420 

Maria,  wife  of  George  Arbuthnot, 

second  of  Eldershe,  420 
Thompson,    Alice    Margaret,    wife    of 

Sir  WilUam  Wedderburn  Arbuthnot, 

third  Baronet,  322 

Rev.  Matthew  C,  322 

Thomson,   James,  of  Arduthie,  husband 

of  Katherine  Arbuthnot.  57 
Travels  in  Albania  and  Other  Provinces 

of  Turkey  in  1809  and  18 lo.  by  Lord 

Broughton.    quoted,     198.    note,    209, 

215 
Trotter,  Coutts  (afterwards  Sir  Coutts 

Trotter.  Bart.).   337.   339.   340.   351 

358 

John,  334,  339 

TULLYDEFF,    ANDREW,    Of    that    Ilk.    95 

Christian.  95 

Janet.  95 

Marjorie.  95 

William.  Laird  of  Lentusche,  95 

Turing,    Gilbert,    of    Feveran,    second 

husband  of  Catherine  Arbuthnot,   40 
Turkey,    Old    and    New.    by    Sutherland 

Menzies,  quoted,   207 
Turner,  Mary,  wife  of  William   Henry 

Arbuthnot.  318 

Wright,  318 


Urquhart.  Adam,   363 

Catherine,    first   wife   of   Joha 

Arbuthnot,   third  Laird  of  Cairngall, 

t34 

Elcanor,  354 

John,  of  Craigsintray  (Craigstou), 

Tutor  of  Cromarty,   292 
Captain  John,  of  Craigston  and 

Cromarty.  291.  295 
Mary,  wife  of  Robert  Arbuthnot, 

second  of   Haddo-Rattrav,    291,    295, 

298,  358 
Mary  Isabella,  heiress  of  Craig- 
ston. 202 
Samuel.  372 

Thomas.   ii8 

Vans  Agnew.  Major  Patrick.  359 
Vaughan,  Rev.  Canon  Edward  T.,  321 
— Mary  Agnes,   wife  of  the   Rev. 

Robert  Keith  Arbuthnot.  321 
Vesey,    George,    husband   of   Margaret 

Arbuthnot,   179 
Susan,  wife  of  General  Sir  Robert 

Arbuthnot.   K.C.B..   239 

William,     of    Farm     Hill.     Co. 

Mayo.   239 

Vivian.  Hon.  Charlotte  Eliza,  wife  of 
General  Charles  George  Arbuthnot.  233 
Richard,  first  Lord.  233 

Walker.  Elizabeth  Fountaine,  wife  of 
Hugh  Lyttelton  Arbuthnot.  312 

Fountaine.     of     Ness     Castle, 

Inverness-shire.  312 

Olive,   wife  of  Captain   William 

Patrick  Arbuthnot,  316 

William    Gregory,    Justice    of 

the  Supreme  Court,  N.S.W.,  316 

Watson,  Andrew,  in  Haddo  of  Rattray, 
146 

Watsons  of  Haddo-Rattray,  288 

Wedderburn.  Frederick  L.  S.,  »t 
Wedderburn,  husband  of  the  Hon. 
Helen   Arbuthnott,   79 

Wellesley,  Lady  Anne,  wife  of  Mr. 
Charles  Culling  Smith,  217,  note 

—  Sir   Henry.  British  Ambassador 

at  Madrid.  303 

Wellesley-Pole.  Lady  PrisciUa.  wife 
of  John,  eleventh  Earl  of  Westmor- 
land, 216 

Wellington,  Arthur,  Duke  of,  216, 
217,  218,  219,  220,  221,  222,  223,  224, 
225,  22O,  227,  228.  229.  230,  472, 
and  note,  483,  484  ;  his  friendship 
with  Mrs.  Charles  Arbuthnot,   2i() 

Arthur  Richard,  Second  Duke 

OF,  230 

Catherine,    Duchess    op,    216, 

217,  2i8,  2iy,  220.  221.  223-4,  225 

Henry,  Third  Duke  of.   231 


34 


530 


MEMORIES    OF    THE    ARBUTHNOTS 


Wells,    Walter    F.    W.,    husband    of 
Emily   Frederica   Arbuthnot,   320 

William,  320 

Wemyss,  Janet  Elspeth,  wife  of  Major 

Kenneth  Windham  Arbuthnot,  385 
John,  of  SuffolkStreet,  chinirgeon, 

160,  note,   170 

Major  Robert  Sinclair,  385 

Westmorland,   John,  Ninth  Earl  of, 

231 

John,   Eleventh  Earl  of,  216 

—  Thomas,   Eighth   Earl  of,   215 

Whittier,  Thomas,  husband  of  Margaret 

Arbuthnott,   70 
Wills,  Eleanor  Jane  Ogilvy-,  wife  of 

James  Arbuthnot  of  Invernettie,  285 

Ogilvy,  285 

Wilson,  Dr.  David,  husband  of  Barbara 
Arbuthnot,   289 

■ —  William,  in  Milbrex,   118 

Winchilsea,    George    William,    tenth 

Earl  of,  222 
Wishart,  Alexander,  of  Carnebeg,  118 
Barbara,  wife  of  James  Arbuth- 
not, second  Leiird  of  Lentusche,   1 1 8 
James,  of  Pitarrow,  39 


Wishart,  James,   118 

Margaret,  first  wife  of  Robert 

Arbuthnot  of  that  Ilk,  39 

Wollaston,     Frederick,     of     Shenton 

Hall,  Leicestershire,  husband  of  Josette 

EUza  Jane  Arbuthnott,  72 
Wood,  Andrew,  of  Balbegno,  husband 

of    the    Hon.    Elizabeth    Arbuthnott, 

74 

Fanny  Isabella,  wife  of  Major- 

General  George  Alexander  Arbuthnot, 

Lieut. -Colonel    Herbert    W., 

238 

William,  in  Thanestoun,   118 

WOODHOUSELEE,    LORD,    294 

W'YNDHAM,  Major  Charles,  321 

Ethel   Mary,    wife    of    Robert 

Edward  Vaughan  Arbuthnot,  321 

Young,  Christian,  wife  of  Thomas 
Arbuthnot,  "  The  Old  Bailie,"  of 
Peterhead,   271 

• George  A.  W.,  first  husband  of 

Mary  Cbristabel  Arbuthnot,   312 

William,  271 


Printat  in  Great  Britain  by 

tSWIN   BROTHERS,  UMITED* 
WOKING   AND  LONDON 


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